


The Assassin of Madness

by Rachel_Lu



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Falling In Love, Future Fic, Getting Together, Love Confessions, Sharing a Bed, Telepathic Bond, Telepathy, Time Travel, Trouble
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-24
Updated: 2016-04-26
Packaged: 2018-05-15 23:52:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 51,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5805232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rachel_Lu/pseuds/Rachel_Lu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a plan to go to a party in the future goes awry, the Doctor and Rose must stop a villain from taking one thing they both value: the Earth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"The future," Rose Tyler said decidedly from her perch on the counter in the galley.  She kicked her feet a little and grinned at the Doctor, who was arching an eyebrow at her.  He continued to butter his toast and made an odd humming sound at her. 

"We've been to the future," he pointed out to her teasingly.

"You say that like we've been to every bit of the future," she retorted, "But we haven't.  We've seen cat nuns and the end of the world but what about... What about a party?"

She immediately knew she was pushing it.  The Doctor loved a good party, of course he did, but since his stunt in France, he'd been reluctant to go to one.  He'd never tell her why, of course, but Rose had a feeling it was because he felt guilty for abandoning her.  She acknowledged that, and thought that he very well should feel guilty, but also make it up to her somehow.  This was the perfect way to do it.

He stopped his buttering and rested his chin on his hand, his elbow pressed against the table, and looked across the room at her.  "All of time and space," he began slowly, "Every bit of it, at our fingertips.  I could take you to the most lush gardens in the universe, the most spectacular rotating underwater restaurants on Kali'l, and you want to go to a dinner party in the future?"

Rose tapped her heels against the cabinet doors behind her feet.  "Not what I said," she told him.  "A party can be a ball.  We could go to one of those."

The Doctor looked at her helplessly.  "Rose, a ball?" 

She rolled her eyes, "Like you said, you could take me anywhere.  How about somewhere I want to go?"

He was quiet for a moment, studying her, as though trying to read her intentions.  He was going to have a hard time of it, though, because Rose Tyler could be very good at hiding her emotions when she wanted to.  At the moment, she wanted to.  She wanted him to make a decision, to think of her, but also himself. 

She wanted him to do other things too, but that was besides the point.  For instance, if he put down the butter knife and came over to the counter and snogged the daylights out of her, she wouldn't have a problem with it.  In fact, it would be rather fine with her on all counts.

Blinking, she snapped herself from her thoughts and saw the Doctor's lip quirk up in a half-smile.  "A ball.  What makes you think they have balls, Rose Tyler?"

Oh, he was playing this game.  Making it a trivia, the longest game of 20 questions in all of time and space.  He was good at it, no doubt, it was his game to play after all, but there were some instances in which she was far better.  Their banter was easy and this would be a very easy situation to discuss.  There were no euphemisms or feelings to jump around now, as there usually were on the TARDIS.  It seemed there was always a feeling to be jumped or danced around, and Rose, for one, was glad they were having a break from that.

Of course, that didn't mean that said dancing, jumping feelings didn't go away.  No, they were always present and very much in the back of Rose's mind all time time.  Instead of focusing on that, she cocked her head and pretended to think before answering his first (Definitely of many) question.  

"Why wouldn't they?" She retorted, "Come on then, you've seen things make a comeback.  Disco in 2398, for one.  Who would've thought?  So, why then, in some distant part of the future, would there not be a sort of ball?"

The Doctor leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms and regarding her carefully.  He nodded at her answer, accepting it, and moved right along.  "Right then, and what, pray tell, would we do at a ball?"

"Dance," she said immediately, "Or I could dance and you could brood, because that often seemed to be the way of things before, didn't it?" 

He scowled at her then, but she knew he was only playing along with her, would never look at her like that in earnest.  He hummed softly in the back of his throat.  "Dance, then.  We could dance anywhere, Rose."  Her particular want to dance seemed to frustrate him.  "You could don the finest gowns and we could go to the Colonial Balls in America just after the Revolution.  We could meet alien kings and queens and chat them up on mysteries that the universe has always thought about."

"We could, and might well do," Rose said, "I'd like to, if you would," she continued earnestly, not wanting to discourage him, by any means.   "But we could do anything, any time.  We could get to everything."

The Doctor sniffed and glanced away from her.  "Yes, well, I suppose we could.  Come on now, eat breakfast."

She hopped off the counter and grabbed her plate before setting it at the place across from his.  She made herself comfortable in her seat and looked over at him.  "So what do you say?"

He leaned forward, elbows on the table.  "I say, you haven't convinced me yet."

It was when he did things like _that_ that made the heat in the room spike and the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.  She resisted the urge to clear her throat and swallowed instead, daring to look him straight in the eyes.  

"And what do I have to do to convince you?"

He seemed to consider, and she could hear him tapping the toes of his trainers on the linoleum floor beneath them.  "You could continue to beg and plead until I eventually give in, or we could let the TARDIS decide for us."

"Or we could have a discussion like adults."

He blinked.  "Or that, yes."

"You haven't given me a valid reason not to go to a grand ball... In the future," She pointed out, feeling rather proud of herself for that particular comment.

"You haven't given me a valid reason _to_ go to a grand ball."

She flung her arms out dramatically.  "Show me the stars," she drawled in a posh accent before calmly returning to her breakfast.

The Doctor laughed and shook his head. "I could show you _every_ star and you'd still want to go, wouldn't you?"

Rose nodded, pretending to be somber.  "I would."

He drummed his fingers on the table and watched her for a few moments.  "Alright, here are the rules," he said, "No wandering off, no telling people where you're from unless I'm with you, and no wandering off with any boys."

"I don't know what makes you think I'd do the third one," she said incredulously, wrinkling her nose. 

"You and your pretty boys," he said dramatically.  "You go get changed, and if the TARDIS agrees with you, that's where we'll go."

Rose beamed and stood, walking around the side of the table to hug him.  He sighed, pretending it was a chore to return her embrace, but actually really rather enjoying the excuse to touch her. She pulled away before kissing him on the cheek and ruffling his hair fondly.

"You know, you're a pretty boy yourself, so you can't say stuff like that anymore," She told him on her way out the door.

He snorted and went back to his breakfast before turning to the door with a start.  "You think I'm pretty?" He shouted.

He heard Rose giggle just down the corridor but she did not reply.

*****************

The TARDIS was always excellent for picking out lovely things for Rose to wear when they went on trips.  Truth be told, Rose rather thought that the ship liked having a girl to look after, considering the Doctor wore the same blasted thing all the time.  Not that she was complaining, of course, and hadn't complained before he'd changed either.  There had been a lot about both regeneration to... Admire.

She browsed through the seemingly endless racks of clothing, brushing her fingers along silks and furs as she went, not having a clue what she was looking for, only knowing that the TARDIS would stop her if she came across the best pick. 

On she went, up several flights of stairs, past an ungodly amount of mirrors, until the TARDIS sent her a frantic, excited hum.  Rose stopped where she stood, her hand on a red hanger that matched the gown it was hanging from.

Rose let out a breathy "oh" at the color and pulled the dress from the rack to get a closer look at it.  She was foolish to think that ballwear would be the same for any given century, for this was no stereotypical ballgown.  This was slinky, blood red and borderline gaudy.   A slit traveled all the way to the knee, emphasized by the glitter that ran up both sides of it, and along the hem of the dress.  It held little bits of glitter along the whole thing, though not as pronounced as in the aforementioned places.

The neckline was low and it would be held up with spaghetti straps and what looked to be a lace up back.  Rose beamed, never having been able to afford a dress such as this and more than eager to put it on.  "Thank you!" She told the TARDIS excitedly before changing. 

Once she was in the dress, she was startled at how much of a force of nature it really was.  How the thing was holding her chest up, she didn't know and wasn't sure she wanted to, but wasn't about to complain.  The TARDIS had offered black strappy heels that made her legs look about ten miles long, and a makeup and hair kit appeared at a vanity. 

"You excited about this too?" Rose asked the TARDIS, and got a happy little hum in response.  Yes, the ship _definitely_ did enjoy having a girl on board to socialize with.  Especially one she likes as much as Rose.  

Rose giggled and sat down at the vanity and started on her hair and makeup, hoping the Doctor wouldn't regret his decision to take her to a ball.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

"Rose, honestly, we could've been there and back by now, you've been in there for ages," the Doctor whined from outside the wardrobe room.  He sounded awfully like a man who was nagging his girlfriend to get a move on.  She rolled her eyes and put a stop to that train of thought right that instant.  

Rose giggled and double checked her makeup. "Well, you'll have to tell me if this'll get us arrested," she said.

"Arrested?" The Doctor said, his voice alarmed, "What could you possibly be wearing that would get us arrested?"

"Well, I mean, there's the time I was arrested for wearing pink on Ander 5, do you remember that?"

"Oh, Rose, I said I was sorry."

"I know you are, I'm just trying to prevent it from happening again," she said, "So what's the dress code?"

The Doctor paused, as though trying to recall.  "Nice things, anything close to black tie.  What've-" he cleared his throat, "What have you got on?"

"This red thing with a slit to the knee," she said, "Top's kinda low, too.  S'that alright, do you think?" 

If Rose had been out in the corridor with the Doctor she would've seen his mouth drop open and his eyes dilate quicker than anything.  He closed his eyes and focused for a few seconds, trying to control himself.  He was a Time Lord, for goodness' sake, hormones really shouldn't have applied to him.  He cleared his throat so his voice wouldn't squeak when he spoke. 

"That should be fine, the 34th Century is very... Accepting."

"Good!" Rose called from inside, straightening her necklace before walking to the door and stepping out into the corridor.

She was no stranger to how men looked at her.  Rose knew she was an attractive woman, and that was often why she dressed down and wore baggy clothes.  A lot of that had changed when she'd met the Doctor.  She let herself where racier things, nicer things, clothes that made her feel confident.  Though the Doctor wouldn't say it, she could tell that, on some level, he appreciated it.

His eyes traveled slowly over her figure, his hands shoved in his pockets as though he were picking up a date for a night on the town.  Realizing that his gaze had probably lingered on her body for too long, he looked back to her face and smiled tightly.  "You look lovely," he said, and held out his arm.  "Let's go."

Rose took his arm and he led her to the console room, and he kept looking down at her ankles as they walked.  The Doctor had never thought ankles could be sexy, but it would appear that even a genius could be wrong about some things.  He furrowed his brows at her heeled shoes.

"Aren't you afraid you're going to trip?" He asked her.

She looked down and shook her head.  "No, I've walked in my fair share of high heels, Doctor.  Used to go clubbing."

The Doctor tried not to think about the fact that Rose had gone clubbing, especially without him.  He tired not to tighten his grip on her at the thought.  He nodded slightly.  "Yeah, well, if we have to run for our lives, make sure you can kick them off."

"I'll see if I have time to unstrap them," Rose said sarcastically as they walked into the console room.  "You're not taking us to the middle of a revolution, are you?"

The Doctor walked to the console and started flipping levers and spinning dials.  "Absolutely not, I don't know why you would think that I would take you somewhere dangerous."

For a moment she thought he was kidding until he looked in her direction and his lip twitched.  She snorted out a laugh and shook her head.  "Well, I guess I shouldn't expect safe at this point, should I?"

He regarded her sheepishly and lifted a shoulder.  "Probably not, no, but I promise one day I'll take you somewhere we can just relax."

"You?  Have a holiday?" Rose kicked her feet.  "I never would've imagined it, you relaxing."

"I'm very relaxing," the Doctor said, adjusting his tie. 

Rose grinned, "Yeah, okay.  I'll take you up on that, though.  Maybe today if we're lucky."

"Luck doesn't exist, Rose," the Doctor said, sighing dramatically.  He threw a final lever.  "Rose Tyler, 34th Century London awaits you."

She couldn't contain her excitement as she shot to her feet, but she sent a skeptical look the Doctor's way.  "You aren't gonna change?" She asked, crossing her arms. 

He looked down at himself.  "No, I look fine.  Don't I?  I look... Crisp!"

"That's a casual suit, Doctor, this is a ball," she said slowly and with emphasis.  "Coattails would be in order, or a tuxedo."

The Doctor groaned and walked up to her, taking her hands in his.  "Rose, I am begging you, don't make me do that."

She squeezed his hands and cocked her head.  "Please?"

He blinked, faltering under her gaze.  "Uh... Really, Rose, it's just a party."

"You'll stick out," she said firmly, "And besides, you look nice in a tux.  Please?"

His resolve crumbled, and the speed of which it did so was alarming and borderline shameful.  He pretended to be exasperated and swung her hands lightly before dropping them.  "Alright, and I won't take two years to do it either."

She giggled as he walked down the hallway and sat down on the jump seat to wait for him.  She had to admit she was a bit surprised that he had agreed to get changed for the event.  Whether she wanted to admit it or not, it was important to her that he get excited with her, otherwise she just felt like a guest overstaying her welcome. 

Tapping her feet on the console floor, she hummed quietly to herself as she waited for the Doctor to return.  Somewhere in the back of her mind she felt the TARDIS humming with her and she couldn't stop the light laugh that came out of here.  

"Good to have a girl around, isn't it?" She said, patting the jump seat fondly.  The TARDIS hummed happily in response.  Rose smiled widely.  "Yeah.  Don't suppose you and I could talk to you at all, like the Doctor does?"

In her head she felt an inquisitive hum and Rose lifted a shoulder, guessing the question that the TARDIS was asking her.  "I don't know, I guess I'd just like to be a part of the group, here."

This time, a fond hum rolled over her, feeling like a big hug from an old friend.  Rose rolled her shoulders.  "Alright, looks like it'll have to be that kind of conversation, huh?"

"Are you two gossiping about me?" The Doctor asked as he barreled back into the room, trying to tie a bow tie around his neck and failing.  

Rose got to her feet, doing her best not to blatantly stare at him as he did so.  "Course not," she told him, and watched him struggle with the silk in his hands for a moment.  "Do you need some help, there, Doctor?"

The Doctor gave her a pained look.  "Really?  I'm a Time Lord, Rose, the oncoming storm, destroyer of worlds, the... Well you know all that.  The point is, I think I can handle a bow tie."

She leaned back up against the console and crossed her ankles.  She regarded him carefully, watching his hands grasp the tie but not quite get it where he needed it to be.  "Dunno, Doctor, looks like you're having a bit of an issue there."

He sniffed and looked up at the ceiling, continuing to fumble with the slick fabric around his neck. She watched him for a few moments, trying not to laugh, really having to bite her lip to keep from doing so.  He was rather prideful, the Doctor, and she could've watched him struggle for hours, except she really wanted to go to that ball before it was over.  She sighed and forced herself not to roll her eyes before relenting and helping him.

"Doctor, come on," Rose pushed off the console and batted his hands away from the tie, ignoring his whine of disapproval.  "You know, we've not got all night."

"I can tie a tie," he protested, though he wasn't fighting her hands anymore.  Well, he wasn't really looking at her either, he was just looking up and away from her.

"You can tie a regular tie," she pointed out, her tongue poking out from between her teeth in conversation.  "The bow variety seems to give you trouble."

His hands twitched at his sides and she tried not to laugh.  Of course he would go on and try to do it himself while her hands were still on it.  Her deft fingers had the knot tied within a few seconds and she gave it a final tug to secure it before straightening it up.  She patted his chest and brushed off his shoulders.  "There we are.  Let's go."

The Doctor reached up to touch the tie.  "How'd you do that?" He asked, trying to look down at it, but only succeeding in crossing his eyes.  

She lifted a shoulder, smiling.  "I may not have my A-levels, but I do know some things," she told him. "Ready?" 

"Well, yes, I suppose, but Rose, who's bow ti-"

"You look rather sharp," she cut him off, reaching for his arm without any further explanation, "And I think we ought to go see that ball now, don't you?"

The Doctor did his best to brush off his questions of whose bow tie Rose Tyler was or was not tying.  Shaking himself, he took the hand hand she offered to him and pulled it through the crook of his arm and led her from the TARDIS.


	3. Chapter 3

The second they stepped out into the hall of what appeared to be a large castle, Rose let out a long, low whistle.  "Wow," she said eloquently, and the Doctor grinned at her as she observed the ornate building.  The century they were in was famous for its beautiful decorations, the epitome of what twenty-first century humans thought of us futuristic. 

Her eyes were wide and he would be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying watching her taking it all in.  She was so alive, Rose, looking at all the things around them with fresh eyes.  He'd never tire of her watching all the things that happened around them. 

"Have we got the psychic paper?" She asked, gripping his arm a little tighter at the thought. 

"Yes, don't worry, I've got it," he said reassuringly, patting her hand with his free one.  They approached what seemed to be a ballroom, odd music blaring from it.  A guard stood before the room and the Doctor fished out his psychic paper before flashing it to the guard.

He nodded curtly and faced the ballroom.  "Presenting the Doctor and Dame Rose Tyler of TARDIS," he said in a thick, booming voice.  He gestured for them to enter, and Rose all but pulled the Doctor along into the room as soon as he finished.

The Doctor bit back a laugh as he followed her into the ballroom and down the huge staircase with golden railings that curled at the ends.  The floor was pure white, despite the humanoids and aliens that were dancing across it to the music that Rose could only describe as the cliched 'futuristic.'  

She was in awe, squeezing the Doctor's arm.  "Thank you," she whispered.  

He squeezed her back as they reached the floor.  "You're welcome," he replied.  "Would you like to dance?" 

She looked at him with a shocked look.  "You want to dance?" She asked, her voice full of disbelief and an eyebrow cocked.

"Oh, come on," he said, rolling his eyes as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him.  He took her other hand in his before sweeping them along with the other dancers.  He grinned her.  "We've danced before."

"Yeah, we have," she said, "But that was just one kind of dance.  You could've been dancing that one dance for years and years and years for all I know."

He tapped his fingers against her waist.  "Well, I've been known to practice, but maybe that was just because I wanted to impress you."

"Well, that would really be something, wouldn't it," she said, flirting back.

It was what they did, the flirting, the easy banter, and never saying anything about it the next day.  Rose always tried to shrug it off and ignore it, pretend it didn't bother her that they weren't anything more than what they were, but there were times when all she wanted was for him to hold her close.  He finally was, but not in the way she wanted.  This was a dance, and nothing more.  He would never see it as anything, and she had to accept that. 

But with him holding her so close to him, feeling his hands against her skin, it was hard to focus on anything at all.  He was talking again and she'd missed every word of it.  

"Sorry," she blinked, shaking herself, "Say that again?"

"I said, that's the Emperor," he said, jerking his head towards a man who was wearing a literal cape made of red satin.  

She looked back at the Doctor and arched her brow.   "You know, that's a bit extreme," she said, "You know, the whole cape bit.  Kinda Renaissance, don't you think?"

He laughed, shrugging a shoulder.  "Yeah, it would be a bit much.  But there it is," He said.  He wrinkled his nose.  "Do you like the cape?"

"No."

"Ah."

"Why?"

"I was just wondering, that's all."

She squeezed his shoulder.  "Yeah, alright."

The music slowed itself to a gentle pulse, what Rose assumed would be the slow dance of this time period.  She prepared herself to step away from him and go find the punch and nibbles, but to her surprise, he took the hand that as in his and put it on his other shoulder.  His other hand landed on her waist and pulled her closer to him.  She felt his fingers lace behind her back and her heart instantly sped up, and she hoped he couldn't feel it, with all his superior senses and all.

"What kind of music is this?" She asked him, trying to distract herself, although it was difficult to do so with his face so close to hers. 

"It's not exactly music," The Doctor admitted.  "The sound waves are supposed to make you feel something, explore emotions, let loose.  It was developed just three hundred years ago by a lonely old man who spent his life in his basement."

Rose nodded, understanding how the low, thrumming pulse of the bass of music, underneath harps and guitars and flutes and pianos, could make a person feel something and 'let loose' as the Doctor had said. "It makes sense," she said finally, "That a lonely man would come up with something to draw people closer together."

She felt him squeeze her waist lightly before he pulled her closer to him, encouraging her to rest her head on his shoulder.  "Yeah," he said, "I suppose it does."

The meaning of his words was not lost on her and she playfully squeezed her arms around his shoulders in response.  Sh never wanted this to end, this closeness, where they could pretend they weren't two different species, separated by rules and caste systems.  They were just the Doctor and Rose, and that would have to be enough.

All night, they danced together, chatting as they did so, laughing at old times and telling stories.  Finally, of course, someone had to rain on the Doctor's parade, because of course, he wasn't allowed to have a full night where Rose was his.  The Emperor approached the two of them in the middle of a waltz and tapped the Doctor's shoulder.

"May I cut in?"

The Doctor forced a smile, knowing perfectly well that refusing the Emperor could result in death, and took a step back from Rose, letting his hands linger on her for a moment.  "Go right ahead."  He squeezed Rose's arm and gestured to the far wall.  "I'll be over there."

She grinned and nodded at him before the emperor took his place and picked up the dance again.  He was charming and all green eyes and sandy hair.  He grinned at her.  "I've not seen you at my parties before, you lovely thing."

Rose blushed at the attention but forced herself to focus on him.  "I'm Rose, your Majesty." 

"Rose what?  Surely a specimen as lovely as yourself has a last name," he teased, and she laughed. 

"My full name is Rose Tyler," she told him, "But I'm afraid I'm an off-worlder, I don't know yours."

He nodded understandingly, "Ah, but you knew I was an Emperor, that's very clever of you."

She tilted her chin towards where the Doctor had gone, "That's the Doctor.  He knew who you were and told me."

"Your friend is very clever, then."

"Yes he is, but don't tell him I said that, it'll get to his head."

The Emperor laughed.  "And so what brings you here, Rose Tyler?  I'll confess the presence of you and your companion intrigues me."

She lifted a shoulder.  "Bit of fun, a party of some sort.  We like to go about and immerse ourselves in... Culture of other places."

"You travel often?"

"Very often.  I don't think either of us could live without it anymore."

Although the Emperor was not the one she would've chosen to dance with, or even to talk to, he wasn't terrible company and let her go after their dance. 

"Miss Tyler, I would like it if you and the Doctor stayed here as visitors tonight.  Do you think your wanderlust could handle it?" 

Rose laced her fingers together in front of her, "Well, yeah, probably, but I'd need to check with the Doctor first, is that alright?" 

The Emperor beamed at her, looking very pleased indeed.  "Of course it is," he assured her.  "Find me with your answer.  You needn't pack, we could clothe an army."

She laughed with him and he pulled one of her hands to press a kiss to the back of it.  She gave a shallow curtsy and he smiled at her, silently telling her that that was the right thing to do.  

Leaving the Emperor, she turned and walked towards where the Doctor had said he would be.  True to his word, he was standing against the wall, ankles crossed and looking really very casual.  He grinned at once he saw her and pushed off from the wall, approaching her. 

"You didn't dance?" She asked, a little surprised that he hadn't taken the opportunity to flirt with anything that came across his path.

He shook his head.  "No, I don't really dance," he said dismissively, and she blinked at the implications.   _"I don't dance without you."_

"Yeah, well," she cleared her throat, feeling suddenly flustered, "The Emperor has offered to let us stay the night."

He nodded, leveling his gaze at her.  "Would you like to?"

"Would _you_ like to?" 

The Doctor blinked, startled.  Usually, when they were given an invitation, it was "I'd like to stay, yeah," or "Doctor, I thought we were going to Cloxia Five tomorrow, why would we stay here?" And he'd wanted her to decide.  Now, though, she was putting it on him, and quite deliberately.  And there she was, staring at him, her head cocked to the side, and there was no way that she knew he couldn't resist that expression, was there?

He crossed his arms, deliberating.  The determining factor quickly became the fact that they would most likely share a bed, because the Emperor most likely assumed that they were together, and he'd be able to 'live with it'.  A night holding Rose Tyler was never a bad night.

"You sure you don't want to decide?" He asked.

"You never get to decide."

"Alright then," he nodded.  "We can stay."


	4. Chapter 4

As it happened, the Emperor was the one that approached them at the end of the night, his hands clasped behind his back as he regarded Rose and the Doctor.  He might as well have had charm dripping off him, as far as Rose was concerned, and she could say safely that even though he was trying very hard, she wasn't appreciating it.

"Have you decided if you'll stay with us tonight?" He asked, his gaze flicking between them.

"We accept your very generous offer, your majesty," Rose said politely.  "We'd love to stay."

The Emperor grinned widely, "Brilliant!" His eyes drifted to Rose.  "And will you be staying... Together?"

The Doctor really wasn't sure what it was that made his stomach clench almost violently.  He reached for Rose's hand and gripped it tightly in his.  "We'll be staying together, yes, thank you, your majesty."

He was sure he wasn't imagining the way the other man's face fell and he felt a surge of anger at it.  Why was it that every young man they met had ulterior motives when it came to Rose?  It was really often beyond frustrating.  He squeezed her hand and she gave him a confused look, obviously not understanding why he would be behaving this way, and really, she had no reason to understand.  He'd never told her.  

"Ah, well, I'll have one of my servants lead you to your quarters when the party draws to its close, and you can rest for your travels tomorrow.  We will have nightclothes set out for you as well."

"Thank you for your hospitality," the Doctor said curtly.

The Emperor nodded at them, dismissing them as he went off to mingle.  The Doctor pulled Rose back into his arms and swung them into the dance that was circulating the room.  Rose gave him an odd look, as though she knew he was acting oddly, and of course she knew he was acting oddly, he was being a bit stiff, to say the least. 

"You alright?"

"That man was going to proposition you," he said quickly before he had a chance to bite the words back.  Rose rolled her eyes.  

"Oh, come on, Doctor, not every young man wants to-"

"He did, I could tell."

"I'm a big girl, Doctor, I can handle myself."

He huffed and looked over her shoulder, as though it was hard to look straight at her, and at the moment, it sort of was.  There were moments when he just wanted to snog her until she couldn't breathe anymore and this was definitely one of those moments. She looked beautiful and strong and he couldn't stand it.

The only thing he could think was that he was glad he hadn't let the Emperor touch her aside from their one, very innocent dance.

Rose, on the other hand, was beyond confused.  The Doctor flirted with every living woman or woman-esque sentient being in the universe, but the second someone showed interest in her, it was as though another world war had broken out.

He had been like this when he was all leather and ears, but it seldom happened now, and she thought she was right in questioning it, but wouldn't say anything about it.  He'd just brush it off anyway, like he did with anything.

By the end of the night, Rose and the Doctor had talked to nearly everyone in the room, and everyone thought them a rather charming couple, what with how close they were and how seamlessly they told a story together.  Rose heard one woman tell her husband what a fine young mother Rose would make.  Rose blushed and tried not to think about it. 

A man in a crisp white outfit, Rose wouldn't call it a suit, came up to them with his hands behind his back and an odd clip on his forehead.  He bowed deeply to them.  "I am to show you to your room," he said, "You are the Emperor's most honored guests."

Rose grinned at the man.  "Great, thank you," she told him warmly.

The servant looked at her as though he were very confused.  Rose mirrored the look at the Doctor as he started to lead them from the ballroom.

"Most servants are not treated with respect in this era," he said, his mouth very close to her ear to keep the man before them from hearing their conversation.  "Your courtesy probably scared him, but now he knows you're foreign."

"Oh," Rose wrinkled her nose, "That's awful."

He tried not to look at her too fondly, even if that was an impossible thing to do.  She was a brilliant woman, and so compassionate, and-

Those were thoughts that he didn't want to be entertaining.  Well, thoughts he _wanted_ to entertain, surely, but thoughts he shouldn't. 

He was distracted by Rose looking at the beautiful, futuristic decor and curves of the building.  Every wall was slightly rounded, as a ship from this time would be.  Most things were white, with splashes of color here and there, where it was important.  A vase of fake flowers, a gold doorknob on a door.  

After they were led up a rather huge staircase, the servant brought them to two massive double doors with gold doorknobs.  He looked over his shoulder at them.  "The guest suite, only used for the finest visitors of the Emperor."

Rose bounced on the balls of her feet slightly, and it was an action she stopped quickly, but the Doctor didn't miss.  She was excited, that much was obvious, and he felt glad that he could bring her some excitement, not that every day they spent together wasn't exciting. 

The servant flung the doors open.  "Have a nice night, Doctor and Rose Tyler of TARDIS," he said, bowing again.

"Thank you," Rose told him, giving him a smile as she entered the room.  She made it a step in before being so flabbergasted by the beauty of it that she stopped, her jaw dropped.  The Doctor went in after her and barely heard the sound of the doors closing behind them.  

The walls of the massive room were curved, like every other room, and it was remarkably like the ballroom, except with a plush white carpet and a bed in the middle of it all.  There was a chandelier from the ceiling that the Doctor thought was a bit much and a door that led, supposedly, to an en suite that was probably up to the same caliber of beauty.

"God," Rose breathed, "That's... That's brilliant!" 

She walked across the room and threw herself back onto the bed, her red dress a contrast against the white of the duvet.  She looked ravishing, the Doctor did not hesitate to admit, and it was very hard to not jump onto the bed after her, over her, and kiss her until she forgot how to say anything but his name.  

"Yeah, it's... It's really rather nice, this era," he said, already off on a good ramble.  "You know, every curve is measured to be beautifully crafted to be symmetrical."

"I don't care, this mattress is divine, Doctor, come here."

The Doctor, once again, for the second time in about three minutes, wondered what exactly would be so bad about him ripping that dress off of her and.... Well.  Off that train of thought right away before he did it.

Noticing he'd hesitated too long, he went over and laid down next to her on the bed with a sigh.  He rested his hands behind his head, just to have something to do with them, and hummed a little.  "It is nice," he told her. 

"Told you," she said.  "I'm a bit knackered, what do you say we turn in?"

It was oddly domestic, as it often was when they inevitably shared a room.  Her telling him she was a bit tired and good they please go to bed?  Next she'd be asking him to turn on the light because she really couldn't sleep with that nonsense on and she'd be cuddling against him and-

Yeah, maybe agreeing to stay the night at the Emperor's palace was a bad idea.  It was probably a bad idea, actually.  Catastrophically bad, because he couldn't control himself in his sleep.

Of course, he could always just not sleep.  That would help matters.  But, then again, parties like this were bound to wear anybody down and he was worn.  

"Yeah," he agreed, "We'll have to check in the wardrobe for jimjams."

Rose rolled over and got off the bed before kicking her shoes off and flinging open the white wood wardrobe in the corner of the room.  She blushed and pulled out a set of men's pajamas and threw them at the Doctor.

"Yeah, don't know if I like what they wear to bed around here," she mumbled.

The Doctor furrowed his brows as he gathered up the white pajamas she'd thrown at him, trying to remember what exactly they wore to- oh.  The 34th Century  wasn't that close to Jack's 51st, but when it came to nightwear, it really might as well have been.  He blushed right along with her and cleared his throat.  "I've got an undershirt on that'll be better for... For covering you, if that's what you want, and you could wear the... The uh, _shorts_ from the pajamas here."

She let out a sigh of relief.  "Yeah, okay," she smiled, "That sounds good.  Do you reckon they'll bring us clothes in the morning?"

He nodded, "Wouldn't do to have your guests wear the same clothes two days in a row," he said, "But... I think I just might.  Always do, anyway."

The Doctor changed first, and when he exited the (frankly magnificent) en suite, he handed her the undershirt, trying not to think about how it would smell like her in the morning.

She collected her outfit for the night and disappeared into the room he'd just been in.  He found that he was staring after her and shook himself before walking to the bed and sitting under the covers, waiting for her.

Oh, this night was going to be the death of him.


	5. Chapter 5

When Rose returned, she was wearing the outfit he'd suggested, his t-shirt and the silken shorts from the wardrobe.  She was a bit uncomfortable, but knew she looked good in the ensemble.  It looked like her legs went on for miles.  She ruffled her own hair and walked to the other side of the bed, but got distracted staring out the window.

"What?" The Doctor asked curiously, craning his neck to try to see what she was looking at.

"All the lights," she whispered, almost touching the glass but thinking better of it.  "Don't you think?"

He hummed and leaned back on the pillows again.  "They're soft, not like the lights in London or other cities in the 21st Century.  Everyone loves the stars around here."

At his words, Rose tilted her chin up to look into the sky through the window.  "That's beautiful," she whispered, awestruck.  

"I could make us a star-roof," the Doctor suggested, almost shyly, "With the sonic, if you wanted to look, still."

"Won't we get in trouble?" She asked him.

The Doctor shook his head.  "No, not at all, as long as we put it all back before morning," he said.  He held out an arm for her.  "Come on."

She grinned at him and got under the covers quickly, cuddling into his side.  "Okay, go for it," she said excitedly.

He almost laughed at her excitement, but bit his lip to keep from doing so.  He picked up the sonic from where he'd set it on the bedside table and adjusted the settings before aiming it at the high ceiling of the room. 

Seemingly at his command, the ceiling pulled back, baring the sky to their view.  The Doctor almost regretted that he couldn't create glass, because the night breeze was coming right down onto them.  Rose moved to lay down and the second he followed she cuddled up next to him, a hand over one of his hearts.  

Alright, so maybe the cool breeze wasn't so bad.

He pulled the blankets up over both of them and tilted his head so he could murmur in her ear.  "They used to worship stars, in this area especially.  They said that something that bright had to be a deity, so they might as well treat it as such.  And so, they did that, but the stars never answered their prayers or helped them with anything, so they gave up."

"Oh, ye of little faith," she murmured into his chest.

He chuckled, "Yes, well, many beings are like that.  They just want to be proved right."

"Do people worship the stars because of you?" She asked softly.

Whether she realized it or not it was a loaded question.  He could tell her that yes, people did worship the stars because of him, and him alone, or he could tell her the truth.  When she was this close, cuddled up with him and treating him like he wasn't a genocidal monster, it was hard to refuse her anything.  He decided he needed to tell her what he knew, about _both_ of them.

"I get scans from the TARDIS sometimes, when I ask," he began, "About certain planets and what they believe and what they're up to."  He inhaled slowly, "Do you remember Tri'oli?"

"Yes," Rose replied, "We were there a couple months ago."

"We were," he agreed, "They now worship a goddess of golden hair and light laugh."

She moved her head from his chest to stare down into his face.  "What, really?" 

He smiled and nodded.  "Yes, they believe we came from the heavens, and that made them want to worship us.  But clearly, they took a shining to you."

"But you were with me," Rose said, "Didn't they think you were a god."

"They thought I was the goddess's consort," he replied dryly.

She snorted and laid her head back on his chest.  "Maybe we should visit there again someday, check up on them."

Before he could stop himself, he ran his fingers up into her hair.  "Maybe we will," he told her, which she knew meant "We'll definitely go, now that someone said something."

They lay in silence, watching the stars twinkling merrily at them.  Rose curled up tighter around him, and the Doctor thought the she really didn't understand what that was doing to him.

"You can sleep if you want," he told her.

"I like the stars," she mumbled.  "Are we going to explore tomorrow?" She asked.

"I would expect so," he replied, "The Emperor seemed to take a shining to you."

"Both of us," she corrected.

He hummed noncommittally.  She snorted and seemed to drop the subject before she spoke again.

"You know, you don't have to be jealous."

"I'm not _jealous,_ Rose Tyler, I'm very far above that, with being a superior being and all," he said, causing her to giggle.

"You know, it's okay if you are, even if you don't say it.  Makes a girl feel valuable or something, I dunno," she lifted a shoulder and mumbled something else.

"What was that?" He asked her playfully, trying to get off of the subject of him being jealous, because he certainly wasn't about to tell her that he was.  Her ego didn't really need stroking at all.

She turned her face firmly into his chest, "Nothing," She said, her voice muffled by his shirt.

"Really?" He tickled her side with his free hand and she laughed, trying to squirm away from him, but his grip on her was too tight.  "Tell me and I'll stop."

"Okay, okay!" She gasped breathlessly, still giggling when he removed his fingers from her ribs.  "I said it's okay for you to get jealous because... Well, because sometimes I get jealous too."

"Do you?"

"You know... Friend jealous," she said awkwardly.  

He pressed a nearly imperceptable kiss to her hairline.  "Friend jealous," he repeated, and she relaxed into him.

"Leave the skylight open till morning," she mumbled, starting to drop off.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied. 

Maybe them sharing a bed hadn't been a good idea after all.  He'd been tempted at least six times before getting into bed with her, and he knew that it wasn't like her being asleep would make it any... Less.

He liked holding her, probably much more than he should.  If Rassilon had seen him in this situation with a human, he'd be more disgraced than he had already been.  As if responding to his own thoughts, he tucked Rose even closer against him, so she was almost on top of him.  She responded to it positively, squeezing him around the waist, letting him know she was still awake. 

"Go to bed," he chuckled, squeezing her around the shoulders.

"I am in bed, if you'd noticed," she said smartly.  "Is there something wrong?  I can hear your brain working from here."

"Rose, my brain is much too efficient for you to hear.  Like a credit stick being loaded, that's what my brain sounds like.  Almost completely silent!"

"And what's mine?" Rose asked, "A hair dryer running?" 

He laughed.  "I couldn't tell you, Rose, I'v never heard you think."

He heard her let out a soft huff of laughter right before she yawned, trying and failing to hide the action from him.

"Go to sleep, Rose, you'll want rest if we're going to explore in the morning."

"Yeah... Yeah, you're probably right."

When her breathing had evened out and he knew she was asleep, he thought it might be best if he shut the the skylight, just so she didn't catch cold.  He used the sonic to close it back up and pulled the covers higher around her before letting himself drop off to sleep.  


	6. Chapter 6

They woke up thoroughly tangled together, though Rose was the first to stir.  She flexed her foot and froze when it ran across a manly, hairy leg.  She tried to look up but the Doctor's nose was completely buried in her hair.  Deciding to keep herself still, she let her eyes flutter closed again, though she didn't think she was going to catch any more sleep.

Last night had been rather wonderful.  Her feet and legs were sore from dancing, but she felt more content than she had in quite awhile.  The Emperor had been kind and she was looking forward to talking to him again.  Not for any romantic purposes of course, but he'd been a good man, at least. Even if he was a bit odd.  This was the future, after all, and she really couldn't be judgmental, the Doctor had taught her that.

She'd been as accepting as possible, but when they'd come across a group of aliens that were humanoids and ran around naked, the Doctor had assured her that it was completely normal for the planet and wasn't that wonderful, Rose?  Why are you _blushing,_ Rose?  Oh, it's because they're naked, well, Rose, you'll just have to accept it and not look at anybody but me.

Rose had only been glad that they were not expected to kit off once they hit the planet.  Their culture of wearing clothes, thankyouverymuch had been very well received, for which she was very grateful.  She suspected the Doctor was too, though he'd never say that he was uncomfortable to begin with.  

Here though, it was very much like back home, which she enjoyed.  Sometimes the little subtleties were just as awe inspiring as being on planets that were vastly different from her own.  She sighed happily and snuggled closer to the Doctor, hoping to enjoy it while she could. 

She heard a knock on the door and a call of "Doctor and Rose Tyler?"  It was clearly a guard and not the Emperor, and Rose couldn't help but feel grateful for that. 

The Doctor shifted under her and mumbled something incoherent into her hair.  She grinned to herself and replied, "Yes, sir?"

"Breakfast will be served in thirty minutes, you will have clothes in the wardrobe."

"Thank you."

"Yes, ma'am," the guard's footsteps retreated away and she pulled away from the Doctor to look him in the face.  He blinked blearily at her, smiling softly.  His fingers were lodged firmly in her hair, and as though just now realizing it, he removed them slowly.  

"We'd better get ready to go down to breakfast then," she said quietly, afraid of shattering one of the fragile moments that often fell between them.  They always ignored them, but that really didn't stop them from happening.

"You're-" the Doctor closed his mouth and nodded.  "Yeah, probably."

Rose resisted the urge to give in and press a kiss to his forehead and instead rolled over his arm and out of the bed to walk over to the wardrobe.  The draft hit her legs with a draft she wasn't expecting and she was eager to get real clothes on.  What she found for herself in the wardrobe were tight, white pants and white, very futuristic looking boots to go with them.  She squinted into the wardrobe and found a pink flowing top to go with it.  At least, it looked flowing.  Rose had learned a long time ago that clothes could be deceiving.

She didn't have to look at the Doctor to know his eyes were on her, so she didn't look his way on her journey to the en suite.  She changed quickly, trying not to think too hard about the fact that she'd been cuddled up in the Doctor's shirt all night long.  Brushing that off, she took a look at herself in the mirror.  She had been right about the shirt.  It clung at the torso and flared at the arms, making her look elegant yet casual.  She nodded approvingly at her reflection before touching up her makeup with the toiletry bag the Doctor carried with him. 

As she exited the en suite, she threw the Doctor's shirt back at him, hitting him in the face with it.  "For you," She said cheerfully, sitting next to him on the bed.  

He sputtered and pulled his shirt off his face.  "Well, now it smells like your soap," he said, "I'm going to smell like a woman all day now."

Rose arched an eyebrow.  "You're not putting that back on, are you?  Not after you and I wore it for practically twenty four straight hours."

"I most certainly am.  I have a spare suit in my pocket," when she gave him an odd look, he amended, "They're bigger on the inside if you recall."

"You seriously don't want to borrow anything from here?"

"Might need to run, I want to have my suit with me."

It struck her as oddly domestic, how they were sitting, as though arguing about what to have for breakfast or what to do before they visited her mum next.  She liked it too much, and it made her have to stand up and walk away from him with the weight of it.  "Well, go on and get changed then, and we'll go down to breakfast."

He gave her an odd look, not realizing why she'd walked away from him.  "Alright," he said slowly, "Don't run too far."

She laughed.  "Not going anywhere, thanks."

He grinned at her and walked into the en suite.  He was rather quick with changing and flung the door open when he was dressed.  "I have to shave," he told her, "Come in here."

Rose walked into the en suite and sat herself on the lid of the toilet.  "I didn't know you had to shave," she told him curiously.

"Really, Rose, I grow hair like a human, I didn't think it would be that much of a shock," he laughed, "I suppose it just never came up."

She watched him as he lathered his face up with shaving cream and narrowed her eyes.  "Do you keep that in your pockets, too?" She asked.

"Yes," he said, "I keep your toiletries with me, why not mine?"

"Because I'm a needy little human."

He gave her a disbelieving look.  "You are nothing of the sort."

She decided to ignore his comment, because it would only cause herself frustration later, something she was familiar with.  "So, do you think we'll be able to explore, or will the Emperor keep us here?" She asked.

"He might want to keep _you_ in the palace," the Doctor grumbled.

Rose rolled her eyes.  "Oh, please, he does not fancy me."

"Rose, you could go seducing your way through time and space.  Honestly, if you picked up any of the pretty boys who follow you around, the TARDIS would be filled to the brim.

She leaned over, her elbow on the lip of the sink, and settled her chin into her hand.  "Yeah, but I haven't.  And I won't."

"Someday you will."

"I won't.  Living with one alien is enough."

He dragged the razor down his cheek, probably too sharply, but not enough to break skin.  "I didn't say he had to be an alien.  Could be a plain old human, in plain old London or something."

She blinked at him.  "Are you serious?  You really think I'm going to leave you to get married or something?"

"Maybe not married, I wouldn't assume you would want to get married.  But maybe you find someone more interesting, someone you like being aroundbetter, someone-"

"Doctor!" She stared at him disbelievingly.  "I don't know where all this is coming from, but you've got to stop.  I'm not leaving you unless you tell me, point blank, that you don't want me with you anymore."

"Not gonna happen."

"Okay, so there's no point in thinking about it, is there?"

He hissed and looked down at his razor.  On his final stroke he'd cut his cheek.  Rose grabbed a tissue from the small box on the sink and pressed it to his cheek.  He turned to face her, her hand still firmly on his cheek.  They watched each other for awhile, each waiting for the other to say something.

"You would tell me, wouldn't you?" She said softly, "If you wanted me to leave."

His eyes softened.  "I wouldn't want you to leave."

She smiled at him.  "Okay then, now that that's sorted, do you want to go down to breakfast?"

The Doctor nodded and took the tissue from her hand, no longer giving her an excuse to touch him.  He pulled it away from his cheek, the little cut fully healed.  He grinned at her and pointed at the spot.  "Time Lord stuff," he said.  "Come on, let's go fetch breakfast."

Rose rolled her eyes and followed him out of the bathroom.  If this adventure was going to be as tension filled as usual, she was in for it.


	7. Chapter 7

Rose was surprised, to say the least, when there was a guard waiting outside, his hands clasped together firmly in front of him.  She started a little when she saw him and then offered him a smile.  "Hello," she said, "What are you doing here?"

"I am here to escort you to breakfast.  It would not do for our guests to be lost, would it?"

"I suppose not," Rose replied.  "Thank you."

The guard blinked at her and then nodded.  "Yes, ma'am," he said, "Follow me, please."

The Doctor pressed a hand against Rose's lower back, urging her forward but only succeeding in making her fight down a shiver.  The guard led them down hallway after identical hallway until they came across a large set of double doors with golden handles.  He threw them open and announced, "The Doctor and Dame Rose Tyler, sir."

"Bring them in, and tell them I hope they don't mind, but a friend had dropped by this morning."  The Emperor's voice called from inside.

"Yes sir," the guard turned back to face the Doctor and Rose.  "A friend has dropped by the morning."

"Yeah, we heard," the Doctor nodded, "That's just fine, you can never have too many friends."  He grinned at the man and they proceeded the guard into the dining room.  

It was massive, to say the least, pure white, except for the tablecloth, which was the softest of reds.  Rose had to keep her jaw clenched to keep herself from gaping at all the wonderful things around her.  There were candles mounted on the pale walls, not lit, nor dripping with wax.  It looked like something out of a dystopian novel, something that shouted 'look, don't touch.'

"Rose _Tyler?"_ A voice said from the table, and, recognizing the voice, she snapped her gaze down to the beaming American who was sitting next to the head of the table.

She found herself grinning as he stood up and she ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck.  "Jack!" She cried out as he lifted her off the ground and spun her around.  He pulled away from her and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek.

"Look at you," he said fondly, "New haircut, better clothes."

"Oi!" 

"And you," Jack peered around Rose to the Doctor, "it's good to see you too."

The Doctor was definitely trying not to smile, but he finally grinned and held his hand out for Jack to shake.  Jack took a step away from Rose to shake the other man's hand firmly. 

"I've got a question," Rose piped up, then lowered her voice, "How... How are you alive?"

"Bad Wolf," the Doctor and Jack said simultaneously.  

The Doctor looked up and saw the Emperor, looking very confused, at the head of the table.  "We're being rude again!" He told Rose, "My apologies, Emperor," he said, grabbing Rose by the hand and dragging her to a side of the table to she could sit across from Jack.  Once they were all seated, the Emperor grinned at them.

"That's quite alright.  I see you know my friend," the Emperor said.

"Yes, we used to travel together," the Doctor nodded as what appeared to be waiters and waitresses entered the room and started placing various breakfast foods on the table.  "It feels like a lifetime ago."

Jack winked.

"Well, he's certainly been up to a lot here," the Emperor laughed, "In fact, I rather hated him when we first met."

The Doctor nodded solemnly as the food started being passed out.  "He has that effect."

"I never had a problem with him," Rose remarked, spooning blue hashbrowns onto her plate.

"Well, that's because he flirted the daylights out of you," The Doctor said dismissively.

"Oh, and that's why I had a problem with him!  That's Captain Jack, always trying to steal someone else's woman!" The Emperor laughed.  "He all but comm endeared any women I had in my court, and some of the men, too."

Rose had felt her stomach lurch at being referred to as the Doctor's 'woman' and the problem was, it had lurched in a pleasant way.  She shook herself and passed a bowl of very alien looking fruit to the Doctor.  She tried to ignore how his fingers brushed hers.

"Well, to be fair, as wonderful as _Dame_ Tyler is to flirt with, she knows who she goes home to," Jack said, giving the Doctor, who had the decency to blush, a meaningful look.

"If only the women in the court were as such," the Emperor lamented, making the other occupants of the table laugh. 

Once all the food was served, the four fell into a very easy conversation.  The Emperor seemed very invested in the travels of the Doctor and Rose Tyler.  They didn't bother to edit their stories, because really, in that century, it wasn't that hard to believe in time travel.

"Have you seen the sixty seventh century?" The Emperor asked curiously.

The Doctor felt himself getting a little nervous at the Emperor's curious tone.  Something was wrong.  "Yes, I've been there, but that was before I met Rose."

"And... What did you see there?"

"It depends on the planet, and the country on that planet," the Doctor said dismissively, "Some dictatorships, some republics, some democracies, some autocracies," he shrugged, "A little bit of everything."

"And Earth?  What about Earth?"

"Republic, for the most part," the Doctor said, "Sure, there are little wars here and there, some countries do things differently, but it is what it is.  Why do you ask?"

"I'm getting ready to wage war," the Emperor said, waving his hand grandly.

Rose looked up from her plate.  "Why?"

"Manifest destiny!" The Emperor beamed, "Expansion, going above and beyond.  I want the Earth."

Jack furrowed his brows.  "Now, hold on, do you really want to do that, sir?  Sounds like a lot of unnecessary death to me."

"Well, your country built _and_ dropped the atomic bomb," the Emperor said, "How is that any better?"

Jack lifted a shoulder, "That was to stop a war.  In the end, it saved lives, because Japan was not about to surrender from World War II.  I know.  I was there.  You mean to _start_ a war, with an indefinite amount of loss."

The Doctor gave Jack an approving look at his words.  It seemed some people could really change for the better after all.  Rose gave his hand a little squeeze under the table. 

"That's what I like about you, Harkness, always up for a good debate."  The Emperor nodded, "But I was actually hoping you could be a general for the army I'm putting together," he said, smiling at his friend.  "You'd be brilliant at it, I'm sure."

Jack gave a modest smile.  "I'm sorry, sir, but I'm really trying to not get into any more wars at this point.  You'd be surprised how many I've been in."

The Emperor gave a nod and looked at the people surrounding him at the table.  "You know, before you decide, you should at least let me show you the plans," he insisted, "I think you'll find them rather impressive."

"I think that's a good idea," Rose chimed in, "How are we supposed to discuss the war if we don't know anything about it?  Good thought, sir."

The Doctor gave Rose a startled look as the Emperor gave her a smug one.  

"Yes, of course, Dame Rose," he said.  "I think once we finish here, it will do us well to look over the plans I have.  I am not an unprepared man, you know."

"That's not what I was implying," Jack insisted.

"I didn't think you were," the Emperor said, "But it's always good to be on top of things, hm?  And now you will know that I am.  I think you'll find the entire process rather impressive, Captain Harkness."

"I sure hope so," Jack muttered into his eggs.

Rose changed the subject, sensing the tension among the three men and not wanting to encourage it, wrapping the conversation around their visit to London and her harrowing tale of hanging from a steerage balloon.  Jack jumped in, suave as ever, telling how he saved her, and the Doctor looked rather put out by all that, so Rose had to say that the Doctor had done quite a lot for saving the world that night as well.  She saw his chest puff up a little at her compliments and hid her smug smile to herself.  It was better that he didn't know that she knew how much he wanted her approval.

Once they'd finished, they had no excuse to avoid the inevitable.  The Emperor set down his fork, and dabbed his face with his napkin.  He stood (and out of respect, everyone stood with him) and extended his hand towards the door.  He grinned at his companions.  "Shall we?"


	8. Chapter 8

Rose was suspicious from the get-go as the Emperor led them, without guards, to the basement.  It was grey, unlike the rest of the castle, which was mostly white.  She found herself wanting to reach out and grab the Doctor's hand for reassurance, but figured he wouldn't approve.  She walked in between Jack and the Doctor, both of whom were standing very close to her.  Jack, she could tell, was standing close out of protectiveness.  Who she couldn't read was the Doctor.

The Emperor looked over his shoulder.  "Oh, loosen up!" he told them cheerfully.  "This could be a very good thing."

"I've never been to a place in the galaxy where a worldwide dictator is a good thing," the Doctor said seriously, "I'm only giving you the benefit of the doubt."

The Emperor smiled and faced forwards again, "I am glad you are giving me that, my friend."

Jack narrowed his eyes, "I'm not even sure I'm willing to give that, sir."

"Well, you really don't have to.  I just want your opinion."

"That's what you'll get from us," the Doctor replied.

The Emperor opened a steel door and walked over to a massive table in the middle of the room.  On it were maps and war plans, some scrawled over with red ink, some black.  Although it was official, it wasn't very neat.  

"You've been quiet, sweet Rose," The Emperor remarked.  Jack didn't miss how the Doctor's fists clenched at the term of endearment the other man used.

Rose gave him a passive look.  "I'm observing," she replied, oblivious to the Doctor's reaction.  

The Emperor offered her a smile.  "Come here," he said, gesturing for her to approach the table.  She hesitated for a moment before walking up to him, looking at all the plans before her.  Within about a second, Jack and the Doctor were on either side of Rose, the Doctor more behind her and peering over her shoulder.

"Explain this to us, then," Jack said calmly, "It looks like mess to me."

The Emperor held up a finger and walked to the side of the room, pressing a button on the wall to project a giant map of the world over an entire wall.  He gestured to it grandly.  "We're in Britain, as I'm sure you know," he said, "But we could have so much more," his tone was wistful and unnerved both the Doctor and Jack.

"Why do you need more?" Rose asked, "Monarchs were happy for years just ruling Britain."

"And so I must be content as well?" The Emperor arched an eyebrow.

"There isn't a reason not to be," Jack replied, "If your citizens love you, what difference does it make?"

The Emperor grinned.  "There would be more citizens _to_ love me, Captain Harkness.  Of course, you know what it's like to be loved."

Jack fought down the smug look he had prepared for such a remark and nodded curtly instead.  "Yeah, well.  Doesn't mean I'm going to try and take over countries to get it."

"Just look at this," The Emperor walked to the projection of the map.  "Here we are," he pointed at Britain.  "And the first thing to do would be to expand across Europe.  After that, we could make our way across the sea, to America, Canada, down to Mexico!  It's brilliant really, and I've got a massive military!"  He grinned at them, not letting his smile falter when he saw the shock on their faces.  

Rose brought her hands together in front of her.  "I don't know about all this, Your Majesty," she said slowly, "You know, the Doctor said that the Earth is mostly a Republic by the year you suggested, and besides, that's year and the year we're in now are very, very far apart."

"I want to make an impression, Rose," the Emperor said, "I want to change Earth forever, not just while I'm ruling.  Can't you understand that?"

"There are other ways to be remembered," Jack said.  "I'm just not sure a war is the way."  

The Emperor narrowed his eyes.  "You'll all see, I have to show you.  Pacifism will get you nowhere and it's about time you knew that."

"I used to be a bit violent," Rose said, scratching her cheek, "But I don't think I can condone this, Your Majesty."  

"I'm not asking you to," the Emperor replied, "I'm only asking you to fight with me."

"But there's no fight here," Jack protested, picking up a document.  "Really, you could very well kill off an entire population, and I don't think you want that."

"You don't know what I want!" The Emperor shouted.  "I could want loads of things, and what I want is to take over the bloody Earth, alright?"

The Doctor stepped forward, edging himself in front of Rose.  "I'm really very sorry, Your Majesty, but we'll have to stop you."

A slow smile crept across the Emperor's face.  "Oh, come now," he said softly, "The three of you against me, and my army?  You're really very naive," he shook his head.  "I'll give you another chance."

"When we traveled together, we stood for everything good in the universe," Jack said, "Everything we did was important, and this is no different.  You can't have the whole planet, there's nothing worse than a world dictator.  People aren't individuals anymore, _believe_ me Your Majesty, I've seen it."

"Do you see this?" The Emperor asked, now frantic.  He gestured wildly to the map.  "So much could be gained, the three of you, you could be my advisers, and wouldn't that be brilliant?  All of us, all at once, me and my friends."

Rose started a little, unnerved by his panic.  She raised her hand slowly to touch the Doctor's arm.  "Your Majesty, I really don't think-"

"Especially you, Rose, you were so kind to me at the party yesterday." the Emperor looked at her fondly.  "You made me forget that I was an Emperor at all."

"She has that effect," the Doctor said tightly, "But I'm afraid we can't let you continue on like this.  The world has to be safe."

The Emperor was breathing heavily, his eyes wild as he looked between the three of them.  Rose had to admit she was a little bit afraid; she hadn't seen him like this the night before.  Her grip on the Doctor's arm tightened, and she noticed his arm come out protectively in front of her.  

Jack took a step forward and held his hand out slowly, "It's alright, Your Majesty, calm down."

His eyes snapped to Jack.  "I thought you were my friends.  You stayed in my beds and ate my food and attended my parties and for _what?_ For you all to throw my ideas away?  You were never my friends, but now they're all going to be my friends, and if they don't want to, I'll _kill_ them, do you understand me?"

"Calm down," the Doctor said lowly.  He knew the guards wouldn't be on their side if they called any, so they had to try to defuse this themselves.  "We heard your plans and we don't agree, can't you accept that?"

The Emperor ignored the Doctor entirely and glanced past him at Rose.  "You look afraid," he said softly.

Rose decided the best thing to do with this man's ego was to shove it into the dirt.  He wanted her to like him, she understood that.  She nodded and pressed her nose into the fabric at the Doctor's shoulder.  "I am."

His face fell.  "Oh," he said, "Fight with me.  Fight _with_ me, Rose, and you won't have to be afraid.  Please."

"I'm not going with you," Rose said, "I can't justify it, and neither can the Doctor or Jack.  We'll fight against you."

The Emperor's mood changed to one of anger.  "Fine!" He roared, "Get out!  No!  Better yet, guards!" 

Jack pulled back, seeming to get ready to run, but no sooner had the Emperor yelled had three massive guards busted through the doors.  The Emperor stared at them, face red with anger.  "Take them to the dungeon!  I'll visit them later."

A guard grabbed Rose and pulled her away from the Doctor.  The Doctor fought the guard that held him as Rose was ripped from him.  

"Gentle with her!" The Doctor shouted, and Jack echoed the sentiment.

Unfortunately, the guards didn't heed any warnings, and all three of them were knocked out with clubs.


	9. Chapter 9

When Rose came to, she was on a very cold floor and her head was killing her.  She shifted slightly, trying to get the nerve to open her eyes and sit up.  Counting to three in her pounding head, she sat up slowly, feeling all her muscles ache.  She blinked her eyes open, trying not to squint at the dim light that surrounded her. 

Her vision was blurry for a few moments but once it cleared she remembered what had happened to them.  She was in a cell, about ten by ten feet, and when she looked to her left she could see through a row of identical cells, all with a single twin bed horizontally against the one solid wall.  Why the guards who had knocked them out hadn't bothered to at least set her on the bed made her feel a bit put out; her shoulder was sore from the way she'd been laying when she was unconscious.  

The cells were freezing, due largely to the fact that there was only one wall, and there were very tiny windows at the top of said wall.  They were closed, but cold seemed to be seeping through anyway.  She shivered, lamenting the fact that the outfit she'd picked that morning was not really warm.  

She heard an anguished groan to her right and she saw another row of cells, and upon looking down saw the Doctor curled up in the cell next to hers.  Slowly, she turned her head to the left and saw Jack, still unconscious and in the cell there.  The Doctor shifting around grasped her attention and she scooted to the right side of the cell, thinking about reaching out to touch his shoulder but deciding not to scare him with it.  

"Doctor," She whispered.

He made a low sound and sat up slowly, pressing his hand to his forehead.  "Rose?" he asked, and then turned to face her.  "Oh, you're alright," he said, relieved.  "Where's Jack?"

She pointed over her shoulder at the other cell.  "Next to me," she said, "He's still knocked out."

"Understandable," he said, wincing.  "How are you not still knocked out?"

"Dunno, but my head hurts," she said, "How much time has passed?"

The Doctor sat quietly for a moment, calculating.  "It's been about thirty minutes," he said to her.  

She shivered and nodded slowly.  "Alright, yeah," she chewed her lip nervously.  "How come Jack isn't awake yet?  Is he dead?"

"No," the Doctor drew out the word slowly, making it at least five syllables too long.  "He can't die, Rose."

Rose furrowed her brows at him and stared, trying to understand what, exactly, was going on.  "What do you mean he can't die?  I thought... I though he died, back on Satellite Five."

"Like I said before, Rose, Bad Wolf," he said.  He reached through the bars to cup her cheek, and she moved forward to accommodate him.  "You had all that power, just lighting you up inside, coursing through you.  You took it, and sensed that Jack had been killed, and you filled him with power.  That power brought him back to life forever.  He can't die." 

She blinked, staring at him.  "And you're not angry about that?"

He frowned and stroked his thumb over the apple of her cheek.  "Why would I be angry that you were trying to save people?"

She lifted a shoulder.  "Dunno."

He pushed her cheek gently, turning her head to the side.  "You've a bump," he said softly, moving his hand to cup the back of her head.  "You might have a concussion."

Rose gave a light shake of her head.  "I don't think so," she said, "I've just got a headache."

"That's to be expected," he said thoughtfully, "If it lingers, you need to let me know, do you understand?"

She gave a weak salute.  "Yes, sir."

He brought his hand down, caressing her neck as she did so before pulling his arm back into his own cell.  "I'm sorry, Rose."

"About what?" She asked, "This is no worse than anything else we've ever done."

"Head injuries are serious, Rose, and I have to say I'm a little worried."

Rose made a face.  "I don't have a concussion," She said, "And even if you did, it wouldn't be your fault.  I made the decision to go against the Emperor, and so did you, and so did Jack, but we all made that decision separately.  It's not your fault."

"Everything that happens to you is my fault," he said quietly, "I brought you with me."

She sighed tiredly.  "Don't do this to me."

"What?"

"You take all the blame for anything bad I do, but it's my fault, what happens to me, not you."  She shivered again, unable to help it.

"You're cold," he said, and shucked his jacket before trying to pass it through the bars to her.

"I can't take that," she protested, "You'll get cold."

His gaze was gentle and guilty when he pushed the coat at her again.  "Rose, you'll get cold too, I've at least got two shirts on underneath this.  You've only got that."

Rose reluctantly pulled the coat from his hand and shrugged it on, watching him the whole time.  "Thank you," she said softly.  He moved as though to touch her again and then thought better of it, pulling his hand back and clasping his palms together so they wouldn't misbehave.

A load groan startled them from each other as Jack rolled over in the cell to the left of Rose's.  He laid on his back, staring up at the ceiling.  "My head kills," he said miserably.

"You're awake!" Rose moved, albeit slowly, to the other cell, oblivious to the Doctor's rather put out look at no longer having her attention.  Jack sat up and turned to look at Rose.

"So, if you're here, and in the Doctor's coat, that either means that I'm in heaven or the two of you-"

" _Jack,"_ the Doctor said warningly from his seat in his cell.  "Please."

Jack rolled his eyes, then winced.  "Ah, yeah, that did happen, didn't it?" he prodded the back of his head gently.  "What are we gonna do, kids?"

Rose shrugged.  "I don't know, I just, I don't know."

"You should rest, Rose," the Doctor said from his seat, and she turned to see him leaning against the bars.  

"I'm _fine,"_ she argued.  "I don't have a concussion and I am not sick and can we _try_ to get out of here _please?"_

The Doctor gave her a pleading look.  "Please, Rose, I want you to be safe."

"And I want you safe," she snapped.  "I want Jack safe, I want us all safe but that's not how our lives work so we've got to own up to it don't you think?"

Jack was staring at her, mouth open.  "Alright, Rosie, we'll try to figure out how to get out," he said, his voice soothing.  "But none of us have tried to stand up first, so I'm not sure we're ready for the running yet."

Rose shot him a look and got to her feet shakily.  The Doctor reached out to her, even though he wouldn't be able to get to her if she fell.  He glared at her.  "Rose, please."

"Shut up, Doctor.  Shut _up."_ She walked forward and grabbed the bars at the front of the cell.  "We just have to find the lock, and I can pick it, and then we can get out of here," she said, her voice frantic as her hands wandered about the cold metal of the bars.

The Doctor was getting angry now, and he too stumbled to his feet.  "Rose, if you don't lay down right now I'm going to burst through there and body slam you onto that bed."

"You know, Doc, I don't think any of us would mind if-"

" _Jack."_

_"Doctor."_

_"Rose!"_

She'd almost fallen but regained herself against the right side of her cell.  The Doctor grabbed her and pulled her, pinning her to the bars of the cell.  He stared her down, a look that anyone would call the Oncoming Storm, but Rose was not backing away.  She sighed heavily and tilted her head against the bars.  

"We'll figure it out, Rose," he promised her softly, "Please, just get some real rest.  You too, Jack, both of you sleep."

Rose seemed to agree, finally, and she dropped her hands from the bars.  The Doctor wanted to lean forwards and press a kiss to her forehead, but didn't think he'd make it through the bars to do so.  

Both the humans made their way to their tiny beds, and the Doctor pulled out the sonic and tested the settings, trying to find something to resonate iron.


	10. Chapter 10

The Doctor sighed heavily once he was sure that both his companions were asleep.  The best cure for being knocked out was for them to sleep.  He, on the other hand, had healed himself while he'd been unconscious.

It was unfair, he knew, that he was doing this to Rose on every trip they took.  She was always getting hurt, and although some would call her a 'damsel in distress' because of it, he knew that she was anything but.  She was strong and kind and independent and it wasn't her fault that things kept happening to her.  It was his and he knew it.  Every scar on her body was his fault, and he hated himself for it. 

He put his head in his hand and sighed again.  He had to take he home.  He knew he did.  She was unsafe with him.  As much as he loved her, he couldn't allow her to stay at his side, in the TARDIS.  Where she belonged. 

He blinked.  How had that thought crept into his head?  It wasn't allowed for many different reasons, and he tried to keep it away since the moment he'd met her.  He'd tried not to let her eyes enchant him or her smile entrap him, but it seemed that both things were equally impossible.  He found himself staring at her when she wasn't looking, when she was biting her lip and concentrating on something.  He looked over at her, laying on the bed, her hands curled up under and her knees pulled close to her chest.  Her mouth was slightly opened and her eyebrows furrowed prettily.

She was beautiful.  It'd been hard enough to control himself last night, when all he'd wanted to do was kiss her and turn over her, laying her on her back and pressing her into their borrowed bed.  He loved every bit of her, and as the last of his species, as well as being a man, made it very difficult for him to repress the other urges that came with a Time Lord falling in love.

Human blokes lusted, Time Lords did not.  That was mostly why the Doctor wanted to explain to Rose why he didn't love Reinette, why he hadn't wanted to stay with her.  He was a one woman man, really, and he wanted to be _her_ man.  Mickey was out of the picture (In the most extreme way to be out of the picture) and she was free.  All that was left was how she felt.

And his Time Lord rules.

Those stupid things, keeping him from holding Rose and kissing her and- 

He blew out his cheeks and tore his gaze from her.  She was hard to look at when she was really just so irresistible.  Her head was almost against the bars of his cell, with the way she was laying and the way the beds were set up.  He set his bed with his pillow on the other side of the bed so he could feel her warmth coming onto him.  He didn't have to sleep, but he felt oddly safer when he was close to her. 

Rose huffed heavily in her sleep and shifted in the bed.  The Doctor squeezed his eyes shut.  Did she have to do that?  Was it really necessary?  She was _everything,_ and he didn't know what to do about it.  Not that there was anything to be done, of course, because he was not allowed, under any circumstances, to touch Rose Tyler.

Although, every pretty boy she'd ever come across had been allowed.  Jack was allowed.  He was allowed, but he was going to blow over that so he could be angry some more.  He needed to do _something_ while they were sleeping.  

It was an odd moment.  He wanted to talk to Jack.  Of course, if he talked to Jack, he knew that something about it would leak back to Rose and she would be either embarrassed, flattered, or...  Something else entirely.  He had to admit that he wished it would be the something else.  But that wasn't something he could ever, ever risk.  

He looked up to see Rose's beautiful blonde head and the curve of her side, the only thing he could see of her.  Breathing out a sigh, he flung himself onto his back.  He was going to have to put himself in a coma for twenty minutes to get his mind off of all of this.

Jack looked up from his bed and rolled his eyes at the Doctor.  He could sort of tell why the Doctor was restless, and it had nothing to do with the fact that they'd been captured.  It had everything to do with his proximity to Rose Tyler.

Of course, Jack wasn't going to say no if Rose had ever come to him, but he knew that Rose loved the Doctor and was very willing to step back to allow that romance to take place. That was, if the Doctor would allow that romance to take place.  Maybe he'd have a talk with the Doctor about the birds and bees.  Surely, the Doctor didn't know about it himself, because if he did he'd be shacking up with Rose by now.

Rose made another sound in the back of her throat and flipped over on the bed.  She was curled into a little ball, and the Doctor had sat up to stare down at her, his brows furrowed in worry.  Jack watched as the Doctor's hand slipped between the bars to stroke Rose's hair gently as he soothed her.  She stilled under the Doctor's touch, but before he could pull his hand off of her, she grappled for his hand in her sleep, grabbing it and pulling it down to her mouth.  She held it there, and the shock was evident in the Doctor's face.  His face was pretty much pressed against the bars with the way she'd pulled him.  His gaze rose slowly to Jack and he gave him a stern look.  "Not a word," he mouthed. 

Jack threw him a grin and he held up his hands in surrender.  The Doctor continued to glare.  Jack winked.  The Doctor gaped and blinked before looking down at Rose and then back to Jack. 

He felt as though he were going to explode.  "She loves you," Jack mouthed over to the Doctor, putting his hands in a heart sign just to prove his words.  

The Doctor's brow furrowed even further, and he shook his head firmly.  Jack had a feeling that the Doctor's face would implode if he tried to draw his eyebrows together any more than he already have.  The Doctor clenched his jaw and stared at Jack, looking angry.

Rose shifted again before settling down entirely.  The shift caused the Doctor's hand to rub against her lips.  Jack had to pretend not to notice how the Doctor's eyes rolled back in his head.  The affect that one woman had over him was astounding.  Jack though smugly that that was the reaction he got from most people he tried to flirt with.  Never the Doctor and Rose, though.

They were far too obsessed with each other to think about anyone else.

Rolling his eyes (though not quite in the way the Doctor's had) Jack shifted to lay down on his bed, closing his eyes and trying to go back to sleep.  Hopefully his two crazy kids would sort all of their nonsense out in the morning.  

Or... Whatever time of day it was.  As long as it ended with his two best friends snogging, it really would be worth it.

Oh.  And they really needed to escape and stop the dictator that was trying to take over the entire planet.


	11. Chapter 11

Rose woke up to the sound of someone clambering around outside her cell.  She sat up, her head throbbing slightly, and peered out into the dark corridor.  Before her cell stood the Emperor, a grim expression on his face and his hands behind his back.  She turned to her right and saw that the Doctor was pressed against the bars, as close as he could get to her, and was glaring at the Emperor. 

She suddenly felt as though she would never be warm enough, even though she still had the Doctor's jacket on.  It wouldn't be enough to offset the cold she felt when she looked at the Emperor.  A quick glance to her left told her that Jack was still asleep.  She probably would've been too, but she supposed she suspected she was being watched in her sleep.

"Hello," the Emperor said, his less hysterical, normal demeanor back in place.  Or, was this the fake one?  Rose didn't know and she wasn't sure if she could or should be bothered to care at this point.  Either way, he was insane.  

"Hello," Rose replied, her voice rough with sleep.

"You don't have to talk to him," the Doctor said harshly.

The Emperor turned to the Doctor and tutted him.  "Too bad, Doctor.  You see, I've done a bit of research.  Seems as though you do quite a bit of... Travelling."

The Doctor's eyes widened.  Rose turned to look at him, waiting for his response, knowing that what he had said was clearly a threat, though she wasn't sure how the fact that he knew they were travelling was a threat. 

"Where's your TARDIS?"  The Emperor asked.  

The Doctor blew out a sigh of relief.  Rose knew what that meant.  The TARDIS had disguised herself to protect herself and Rose and the Doctor.  The alien raised his head and met the steady gaze of the Emperor.  

"Obviously she doesn't want you to find her."  He said simply.  "Nothing I can do about that, even if I wanted to.  My sonic isn't strong enough to bring her out of hiding."

The Emperor made an odd humming sound and turned his attention back to Rose.  "Give your boyfriend his jacket back," he said calmly, "You're coming with me."

"Don't touch her!" The Doctor shouted.

The Emperor blinked, as though shocked at the tone that was being used with him.  "I'm not going to hurt her," he said.  "She's simply insurance.  My little pet.  Seen and not heard.  She'll be able to deliver all she hears when she returns here at night."

Rose could see the Doctor's jaw clenching from where she was and came to a decision.  If she was going to get information, this would be worth it.  She slid her arms out of the Doctor's jacket and shoved it through the bars at him.  He reached out and grabbed her wrist instead of the coat.

"Don't," he said, a warning, "How do you know he's telling the truth?"

"How do we know he's not?" She snapped back.  At the fear in his eyes, her own gaze softened. "I promise, I'll be careful."

His grip was like a vice on her and she could feel her own pulse because of it.  Slowly, he nodded and let go, removing the jacket from her hand.  "Okay," he whispered.  He watched her steadily, as though there was something else he wanted to say but wasn't about to in front of the Emperor.

The Emperor beckoned to someone out of Rose's line of sight as Jack sat up slowly, observing the scene that had started to take shape while he had been sleeping.  "Rose, don't," he said quietly.

Rose whipped around to look at him.  "I'll be fine."

The Doctor was still pressed up against the bars as a guard approached Rose's cell and unlocked it.  Rose immediately wished she had been able to slip the Doctor's sonic screwdriver into her shoe without being noticed.  Unfortunately, that would've been an impossibility and would've shown the Emperor that they had a sort of weapon.  Although, if he'd done research on them, it was likely that he knew they had it.

The guard was holding a pair of handcuffs and Rose sighted.  She was a fool to think that anything different would've happened.  She held her hands out and the handcuffs were locked around her wrists.  

A smile graced the Emperor's face.  "There we go, now isn't that nice?"  He said, his voice sickly sweet.  "Follow me, Rose."

Rose walked between the Emperor and the guard, looking over her shoulder at Jack and the Doctor.  They'd diverted like lost puppies, pressed against the bars as close to her as they can get.  She was past Jack already, but when she came close to walking past the Doctor, lifted her hand to touch his cheek in reassurance.  Unfortunately, that just brought attention to the fact that her other hand had to come up with it because of the cuffs.  His eyes were drawn to her hands and he gave her a pleading look.

"Rose?" The Emperor sounded impatient now, "I have some plans to show you.  Come along, now."

She dropped her hand and her gaze from the Doctor as she was led from the room.  

*****

The Doctor clenched and un-clenched his hands several times.  He fumbled in the jacket Rose had returned to him and pulled the sonic out.  It looked like resonating iron wouldn't work, but something had to.  Some sort of blind rage came over him as he slammed his shoulder into the door.

"Whoa, whoa, Doc!" Jack shouted, trying to catch his attention, but he wasn't listening.  He continued to ram his shoulder, feeling intense pain after three or four hits, even through his Time Lord superior strength and pain tolerance.  A bruise would form, but he couldn't seem to care.

"Doctor, _stop!"_ Jack was screaming not, and the Doctor collapsed the the ground, placing his head in his hands.  His shoulder was throbbing, almost down to his top ribs.  He noticed that Jack was still yelling and finally tuned in to listen to him.

"-Idiot, Doctor, really, Rose would hate you for this.  She definitely wouldn't appreciate it.  She's gonna be so mad that you were _hurting yourself_ when she's being so brave and-"

"Jack," he said softly, lifting his eyes.  "She could get hurt.  He could hurt her.  This man is after world domination, do you understand that?"

The other man narrowed his eyes.  "Now, come on, I care about Rose just as much as you do, and I've seen world domination a time or two.  So if you could get off your high horse we could figure something out."

"I can't resonate iron," he mumbled, "It's not gonna work."

"So we do something else!" Jack shouted.  "What does Rose mean to you, Doctor?" 

The Doctor stood abruptly and started pacing, ignoring Jack's comment.  There were things he wasn't willing to admit, not even to himself.  Especially things regarding how he felt about Rose.  That wasn't anyone's business, especially not his.  

Jack cocked an eyebrow and stared at the Doctor.  "If you'd just admit it to yourself, it might light a fire under your-"

" _Jack."_

"Stop it.  Admit it to yourself and we can get out of here.  I've never seen you go so animalistic before, Doc, but the second Rose might be in real physical danger you're all over it."

The Doctor shot him a look.  "Rose is my best mate, you know that."

"She's more than that."

"That's enough."

The Doctor started flipping through the settings on his sonic screwdriver, muttering to himself.  Jack could only roll his eyes and throw himself back into a seated position on the bed.  There was no use fighting with the Doctor, and there was _really_ no fighting with the Doctor when Rose Tyler was involved. 

"I know what you think of her," Jack said softly.

"I said that's enough, Jack."

"Oh, shut up," Jack said, his tone exasperated.  "I know you feel more for her than you've ever felt for anyone and that scares the hell out of you.  She loves you, you know."

The Doctor closed his eyes, unable to think properly with a thought like that running through his head.  "Quiet now, Jack, I'm trying to find us a way out of here."


	12. Chapter 12

Rose followed the Emperor along, blocking out the sound of Jack shouting at the Doctor behind them.  She didn't know what he was doing, but it was something that was obviously made Jack upset. 

"Come along, Rose, really," the Emperor said, sounding irritated.  Rose flexed her hands against the handcuffs, making them jingle slightly.  The group was quiet at they ascended the stairs back to the main palace.  Rose tried to take in everything on the way up, since she hadn't been conscious the first time on the way down.  

She was afraid to speak about anything, but the Emperor kept looking over his shoulder at her, acting as though she was prisoner.  Of course, she was.  Though, she found that odd, when she'd been an honored guest just that morning.  

"I think you will observe a meeting between myself and some of the people who _agreed_ to assist me.  You could still be in their place, Rose."  The Emperor said. 

"I won't," Rose said bravely, "I can't condone what you're doing."

He looked at her again over his shoulder.  "I didn't ask you to," he told her.  She felt an odd chill run through her at the words, something that put rocks in her stomach. 

Guards got closer to her as the Emperor led them to a conference room, as stark white as anything else in the house.  Rose noticed that their prison was one of the only rooms or things not white.  She wondered if it was a status symbol and decided to ask the Doctor about it when she got back. 

The conference room was almost blinding, but the carpet was light green, making things just a little different.  A drink was set out at every seat at the table, the epitome of hospitality.  Rose immediately assumed that hospitality would not be extended to her and stood still, not moving to go any particular direction.

"Oh, guards, won't you take Rose to her seat?" The Emperor suggested.  

A guard grabbed Rose roughly by the shoulder and she cried out, feeling on her arm where a bruise would most certainly form.  Before she could protest any more, the guard threw her into the corner of the room, her head hitting the wall.  Reaching up, she touched her head and felt blood already beginning to mat her hair.  She whimpered at the touch of pain that shot through her when she connected with her skin. 

"Oh, come _on,_ Simmons," The Emperor groaned.  "You're going to get her blood on the walls."

Rose felt her vision blur and immediately thought she had a concussion.  Perhaps it was that on top of getting hit in the head earlier.  Either way, was her head really that sensitive?  She winced again as she tested her head again.   

The Emperor offered her a cool glance.  "Are you alright, Rose?"

She considered wiping the blood from her fingers and onto the crisp, clean wall, just to prove a point, but decided against it.  She couldn't take any chances at this point, she was very sure that her life was on the line now.  Instead, she carefully rested an uninjured part of her head against the wall, closing her eyes against the blurring of her vision.  

"Now, the visitors will be here any minute, so make sure Rose is seen and not heard, please."  

"You didn't say I'd get hurt," Rose said. 

"I never meant for you to," the Emperor said defensively, "That was my guards injuring you.  I didn't do anything.  Now," He held his hand out at Rose, his attitude expectant, and a guard pulled a gold, large handkerchief out of his pocket.  He approached Rose and started to gag her with it. She fought against him, shooting her feet out to stop him, but earned a smack on the jaw for her efforts.  Her vision blurred again and that distraction was enough time for him to tie the gag into her mouth.  She bit his hand on the way out of her mouth, just to feel as though she were in some sort of control.  She regretted it the second she did it, knowing she'd probably just done herself in, but the guard only let out a hiss of pain and stepped back, trying to get away from her.  He sent her a dirty look. 

"I say we just kill them all now," the guard snapped, glaring at Rose again.  Now feeling weakened, she simply leaned back against the wall and tried to keep her gaze focused.

"No, no," the Emperor said, his gaze level with Rose's.  "We can have fun with this one yet.  The mighty Time Lord can't do anything to us, but we can do something to him.  He values her.  If we break her, we break him.  It would be excellent to have a Time Lord on our side, don't you think?"

The guards laughed, and a knock sounded at the conference room door.  Rose was surprised when some of the guests allowed in were aliens.  She recognized a couple different species, and would've rattled them off in her head if she could remember them.  One particular blue woman with golden eyes looked over at her with a concerned glance. 

"Emperor!" She cried, going to Rose's side and holding the hand that wasn't bloody.  "This woman is bleeding."

"Indeed she is," the Emperor replied. "Leave her, Mashka, she is but a traitor and hardly worth concerning yourself with."

Mashka, which was apparently the woman's name, worried her lip and squeezed Rose's hand lightly before rising.  "Of course, Emperor, I am sorry."

"Quite alright.  Have a seat."

The group sat around the conference table and Rose struggled to listen to what they were all saying, but they spoke in low tones and were all huddled too close together around the table.  She strained her ears and tried to sit forward, tried to be brave for the Doctor and Jack and all the causes they represented together.  It was clear to her now that the Emperor never intended for her to hear the plans.  He only wanted to hurt her. She planted her feet into the floor to assist herself to shift forward, and a man heard her efforts and turned around in his chair to look at her.  His gaze was cold. 

"Emperor, I fear I will have to take leave for a few moments," he said, turning his gaze back to the others.

"Of course," the Emperor replied dismissively.  

The man stood up slowly and made his way to the door, but took a slight detour towards Rose.  He stood towering over her, with his hands in his pockets and stared down at her.  Feeling a wave of determination, she tried to fight to get to her feet.  In response, the man kicked her sharply in the side.  She gasped, trying to let in air and falling back again.  The man squatted and grabbed her face in his hand, five bruised fingerprints being left in their wake around her chin.

"You insolent beast," he hissed at her.  "You should be so lucky to sit at the Emperor's table.  I find it ludicrous that you would even think of becoming a traitor, but I suppose some are rather idiotic, aren't they?" He released her and got to his feet, striding from the room.  No one looked at her, aside from Mashka, who's eyes looked suspiciously misty.

Maybe it was the blow to her head, making her feel drowsy and uncomfortable.  She fought to listen to the talk at the table, but they were still talking too low and she couldn't hear them over the pounding of her own heart.  

The day was spent like that.  She watched them break for lunch and then dinner without giving her anything to eat.  The man who had kicked her threw her a piece of meat and most of the people at the table guffawed in laughter, slapping the man on the back and telling him how incredibly humorous he was.  Rose didn't take the bait, instead lifting her chin in defiance. 

"Oh, Simmons, I think our little friend has had enough for today.  Take her back down to her friends."  The Emperor said finally. 

The guard, Simmons, got to his feet from where he had been sitting and hauled Rose to her feet.  "You'll get your dinner downstairs," he said roughly before pulling her from the room.  

She felt swollen and dazed, and berated herself for not being stronger.  If she'd been able to keep her head on straight she might have been able to hear what they were saying.  Instead she'd allowed herself to be beaten.  

The walk back down to the dungeon was a bit more familiar this time, and she hoped that soon, if they were able to escape, she'd be able to get them out of there.  It was her only good news at this point, and she planned to tell it to the Doctor and Jack.

"Maybe your boyfriend can patch you up," Simmons said, a hint of kindness seeping into his tone.  "We'll put you in his cell tonight."

Her gag was removed when they approached the door, and Simmons took her to the Doctor's cell, took off her handcuffs, and thrust her unceremoniously into it.  Jack, feeling helpless with the empty cell between him and his friends, pressed himself against the bars closest to them.  

The Doctor caught her, mostly out of instinct, and she rolled off of him quickly, sitting against the bars.  He took in the bruises on her face and traced his fingers gently over her jaw, a soft furrow to his brows.  Fury shot through him and he got up to dodge from the cell, but the door was already shut and locked. 

"What the _hell_ did you do to her?" The Doctor demanded.

"I didn't do anything," Simmons said quietly.  In response, Rose rolled up the sleeve of her shirt, displaying the purplish-green bruise forming on her upper arm.  The Doctor's jaw clenched. 

"Nothing?  That's nothing to you?"  The Doctor got close to the bars of his cell, getting close to the other man, but not being quite as intimidating as he'd wanted to be.  "For every mark on her body, I will kill you three times."

"Big talk," Simmons said dismissively.  He turned to Jack.  "I can put you in her old cell, if you promise not to do anything funny."

The Doctor could tell that Jack was weighing the options in his mind, but finally he nodded.  "I won't try anything," he promised.  

Simmons moved to a side of the dungeon and pressed a hidden button.  The bars between Rose's old cell and Jack's opened, and Jack darted into the other cell, not even realizing that there had been a way to each other (had they really, really tried) all along.  He fell to his knees next to where Rose was and rubbed her shoulder reassuringly. 

The guard left and the Doctor returned to Rose.  She watched him as he sat down next to her and picked up her hand.  "What did they do to you?" He asked lowly.

Rose bypassed his question, "I'm sorry," she croaked out.  "I tried to listen to them, I did, I wanted to hear their plans, but I hit the wall, and this man, he kicked me, and I couldn't focus, and-"

"Hush," The Doctor stroked the side of her head that wasn't matted with blood.  "You have nothing to be sorry for, Rose, I promise," he said, "I'm going to try to patch you up as best I can."  His voice was tight, as though he was trying to contain himself.  "I'm sorry," he whispered.  "I'm sorry things like this keep happening to you, Rose."

"I tried to help, I wanted to-" she winced, and Jack stroked her hair reassuringly, feeling frustratingly separated.  

"They hit you," the Doctor said quietly.  He looked into her eyes, searching them.  "I can get rid of the concussion you definitely have, and... And the bruises, too."

"Okay," Rose said softly, her eyes drifting shut. 

"I'm going to put you on the bed, Rose, alright?"

"Okay."

Jack sat back on his haunches and watched as the Doctor pulled Rose into his arms and carried Rose to the bed against the wall.  He laid her down and pulled the sonic out, scanning her over.  She tried to sit up and he pushed her back down. 

"No, Rose, please stay still," he begged her.  "I'm going to help you."

"Listen to the good Doctor, Rosie," Jack teased around a closed up throat.

Rose let out a little giggle.  "Yeah, okay, but I'm really fine."

She reached out to touch his face.  He looked down at her in shock, startled by her tender touch.  She smiled up at him, and it was very clear that she barely realized something was wrong, "You're so good to me, Doctor."

Oh, if only she knew.  He was awful to her, he'd never be good enough.  He bit back tears and smiled back at her.  "Go to sleep Rose, I'll get you fixed up."  Her eyes fluttered shut and he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

He looked up at Jack as her breathing evened out, signaling she was asleep. The other man's face was anxious.

"Can you patch her up?" He asked insistently.

"Yes," The Doctor said firmly.  "But... I... I should take her home, if we make it out of here."


	13. Chapter 13

"No."

"Jack, this isn't your decision to make," the Doctor snapped, his eyes drawn to Rose to make sure she wasn't awake.

Jack crossed his arms over his chest, regarding the Doctor with a piercing gaze.  He waited until the other man looked at him before he spoke again.  "She chose you," he said quietly, "You know that as much as you know you're clever or I'm a flirt."  Any hint of humor was lost on the severity of the situation.  "She's not leaving you."

"She should," the Doctor said mournfully.

Jack rolled his eyes and heaved a deep sigh, the stale air of the dungeon stinging his lungs.  "But she did.  And whether you like it or not, you've chosen her too.  And so has the TARDIS," he pointed out, raising his eyebrows meaningfully.

"Rose brought you back from the _dead,_ Jack, that part wasn't the TARDIS's help."

"Which means she's just as dangerous as you are."

The Doctor let out a frustrated noise that reverberated through the room, bouncing off bars and cold walls around them.  "She can't regenerate.  I can't keep her safe.  Everywhere I take her, everywhere _we_ took her, she got hurt."

Jack furrowed his brows.  "We didn't get into that much trouble when I was with you guys, Doctor.  There was a lot of domestics, whether you'll admit it or not.  You took her to the beach, you took her to the most beautiful mountains in the galaxy.  She was happy and safe and with you."

"You, too."

"No," Jack shook his head, "This isn't about me.  This is about you trying to make Rose's decisions for her.  Would you rather her live a short life with you, happy and holding your hand, or have her live a long life, but she hates you forever.  You know she'd never marry."

The words settled into the room like dust that had been thrown in the air.  Jack set his jaw and stared at the Doctor.  He knew that at some point he would find it impossible to leave Rose behind.  He would be just as hurt as she would be, and both of them would've lost their comfort. 

The Doctor was finding the silence deafening.  He pinched the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb, his eyes falling closed.  "She would have to marry, Jack, it's what humans want."

"I don't."

He dropped his hand and shot Jack a glare.   "Well, you're hardly human anymore, are you?"

Jack gestured wildly at Rose, who still lay sleeping.  "And who made me that way?" He asked.  "This girl is stronger than you would ever believe, Doctor.  She was hurt, beaten, and yet she still tried to get information for _you._ She doesn't want a husband and kids from an Earth man, and if you can't see that by now, you're blind."

The Doctor sighed heavily and removed his suit jacket and tie, feeling weary and uncomfortable in all the extra layers.  "Well, she can't have it from me."

"Then she won't have it from anyone.  There are things you don't know, Doctor."

"Oh, really?  Like what?"

Jack studied the Doctor carefully. "Do you remember when we went to that beach on Venice V?"

"Yes, of course I do.  There was sand everywhere."

"Yeah, that would be a beach, Doctor."

"I only remember being... Upset by it, that body, it just wanted to be angry."

"You had a hard time doing that with Rose around," Jack pointed out, "She made you so happy.  And on that day, when we were on the beach and you went off by yourself, Rose wanted nothing more than to go after you and hold your hand."

The Doctor shot Jack a look.  "Well, it would've been welcome, she knew that."

"Damn, for a Time Lord, you have no sense of time.  That was right after you'd told her about the War.  You'd told her all the horrible things that you'd done and she wanted to stay, to be with you until the end of time."

The Doctor remembered that day more than he cared to admit.  He remembered how happy Rose had looked, beautiful and free, wrapped in a sundress and aglow under the sun.  She _had_ agreed to stay, not in spite of his choices, but because of them.  But she'd been too close, to familiar, and suddenly he'd felt the pressure she was unknowingly putting on him.

There was nothing he wanted more than her, and there were times he had a feeling she knew that.  After the War, he'd barely allowed himself to be happy, to live, but Rose had done just that for him.  So he'd felt her too close and breathed her in until he couldn't take it anymore.  He had to _escape,_ and so he made a hasty excuse about wanting to see an old friend.  Her hand had fallen away from his and he hadn't allowed himself to look back at her face.  He knew she'd been shocked, because usually he'd take her along for things such as that.

And he hadn't. 

"She wanted to mourn with you," Jack said quietly, "And that was when she told me, then, that she loved you."

The Doctor felt himself shedding the mental exterior of his ninth self and brought himself back to reality.  "She doesn't.  She can't possibly understand what loving me would entail."

"She does and she still wants it."

"That's enough, Jack."

"No. No, you don't get to treat me like a child, to tell me when to stop talking.  You're going to listen to me and when Rose gets up the courage you're going to listen to her.   And if you think that for even _one second-"_

"Stop fighting, boys."  

Rose's tired voice came from the small bed, and both Jack's and the Doctor's heads whipped to look at her, a little guiltily.  The Doctor missed Jack's smug look as he fell to his knees at Rose's side and took her hand in both of his.  "I'm sorry," he whispered, "Did we wake you?"

She blinked slowly at him, not being able to shake or nod her head.  "Yeah.  Didn't want you to fight.  We didn't think we'd ever see Jack again, Doctor, this is a second chance, I won't have you mucking it up.

Jack let out a surprised laugh from Rose's old cell and she managed a grin.  

"I want to sit up."

"Rose, no, after all that's happened, I-"

"I wanna sit up."

He sighed, unable to refuse her anything, and helped her to slowly sit up, and leaned her back against the wall.  He propped her pillow under her lower back to help support her and shifted the worn blanket on the bed to lay across her lap.  

"They'll probably bring us dinner soon.  Have you eaten, Rosie?" Jack asked, trying to keep the anxiety out of his voice when he saw how pale she was. 

"No," Rose replied.  The Doctor, it appeared, was not so good at hiding his emotions, his brows drawn together in worry and his hand resting lightly on her knee.  He was on his knees before her, a willing supplicant to his goddess.  She sensed his upset and reached out to cup his cheek.  "Look at you," she teased lightly, "A proper Doctor."  She turned her attention to Jack but didn't remove her hand.  "Are you going to tell me what you two were fighting about?"

"Nothing you need to worry about, Rose," Jack replied, "Men stuff."

"'Men stuff'," Rose mimicked.  "That's fine, don't let me in on anything."  She stroked her fingers over the Doctor's face and let her hand fall back to her side.  "Now, when are we getting the TARDIS back?"

Any response she would've gotten was interrupted by the guard sliding two odd looking cube things into the Doctor and Rose's cell and one into Jack's.  All three of them were given a cup of water as well.

"What's this?" Rose asked.

"Dinner," Jack replied blandly.

The Doctor demonstrated, dropping a drop of water on the cube.  It expanded into something that looked like astronaut food.  Had Rose been in this cell two years ago, she would've turned her nose up at it.  Now, however, it looked like the most bountiful meal she'd ever eaten.

"Well then, give it here," she said teasingly.

All three of them prepared the stuff and ate it in silence, watching each other, the boys mostly watching Rose.  Finally, she shifted uncomfortably and stared at them. 

"I want to know what you were talking about before I woke up."


	14. Chapter 14

"The beach," Jack blurted out before clapping a hand over his mouth, as though horrified he'd said anything.

Rose blinked at him, her gaze flicking between both of them.  "That's nothing to yell about," she said quietly.

"We didn't mean to disturb you," The Doctor insisted.  "We'll... Jack and I, we have some issues to sort out, I'm sure you know that."

She cocked an eyebrow at him, the silence settling between them all, the Doctor holding Rose's eyes.  She was staring him down, and it was clear that any fight between the two of them would be forfeited to her.  "You have issues about the beach?"

"And Satellite Five," Jack said.  He glanced between the Doctor and Rose.  "I'm not even going to pretend it was an accident that I said that."

" _Jack,"_ The Doctor huffed out, exasperated.  Jack shrugged.

Rose stiffened at the mention of Satellite Five.  "Doctor, what's going on?"

"We don't need to talk about this right now," the Doctor said gently, leaning forward to touch her cheek.  "I promise, we don't."

"Doctor."

" _Doctor."_

"Jack."

Rose pulled away from the Doctor, anger snapping behind her eyes.  "Fine, don't tell me what's going on," she said harshly, and started to shift to lay down on the bed.  The Doctor panicked and surged forwards, catching her before she could move.  "Please stay still," he pleaded with her.  

"Why were you talking about the beach and Satellite Five?  Those days don't even go together!" Rose shouted, and the Doctor winced at her tone.  

Jack got as close to the bed as he could, pressing his knees against the bars as he squatted down.  "Rose, the Doctor and I have a lot of differences.  Something happened on Satellite Five that you wouldn't fully understand."

"Oh, just a stupid human, yeah?" Rose looked away from them.  "Maybe you two should be put in a cell together so you can tell more secrets."

"Rose, that's not fair," the Doctor said, his tone growing almost whiny.  Rose wrenched away from him and laid down quickly before he could stop her.  "Rose, please." He reached out and touched her shoulder.  

"No, no, Doctor, if you'd like to continue your big, manly discussion, please don't mind me," she started maneuvering around to get the covers over her, and the Doctor sprung to help.  He pulled the dingy sheets over her curled up form. 

"Rose?" He asked, his hand stroking her shoulder. 

"I'm gonna sleep, if we need to get the TARDIS soon," Rose said softly, her voice now more resigned.  

"Well, I'm going to need to sleep tonight, too, if I want proper energy," the Doctor pointed out.

Rose was silent, both the Doctor and Jack staring at her.  She sighed heavily, her shoulders heaving with the motion.  "Crawl in when you're tired," she said finally.  

He breathed out a breath that he hadn't known he was holding.  Leaning over, he pressed a gentle kiss just under her eye.  "Goodnight, Rose."

She grumbled to him and burrowed deeper under the covers.  The Doctor sat down against the bed and sighed heavily.  When he looked over, Jack was staring at him, an expectant look on his face.

"What?" The Doctor mouthed.

Jack waggled his eyebrows and did an obscene gesture back to him.  The Doctor rolled his eyes but still couldn't bear to turn around and look at Rose in the moment.  

"We have to get the TARDIS back," he whispered, changing the subject.

"We need to get out of here, first," Jack replied, his tone matching the Doctor's.

The Doctor thought for a moment.  "We also need to stop the Emperor."

"Ah. That too."

The Doctor turned and looked at Rose over his shoulder, some of her hair still matted with blood.  "I'm going to kill him," he said softly, his voice dangerous and low.  He clenched his fists and lifted his sonic screwdriver to start repairing Rose's superficial wounds.  "I'm going to kill him."

"You won't."

"You don't know that," The Doctor shot back, "They hurt her, they can't do that, she's... She's..."

"The most important person in your world," Jack said simply, standing as the Doctor did.  "You think she's beautiful, and brilliant, and kind."

The Doctor ignored him and started removing the bruise under her eye.  She stirred in her sleep, and he felt a pang of worry with how quick unconsciousness had taken her.  He shushed her gently as she stirred, the hand not holding the screwdriver stroking her arm gently.  She whimpered lightly in the back of her throat and shifted on the bed as though she were uncomfortable.

"I'm here, Rose," he whispered, continuing the stroking motion.  "It's alright, I'm going to fix you up, alright?"

She whimpered again as he moved to her jawbone.  Her eyes shot open and she shuddered.  "You couldn't have done this when I was awake?" She asked sharply.

He smiled sheepishly, "Thought that maybe you wouldn't wake up," he said, "Deep sleep, and all that."

"You're gonna be a-ok, Rosie," Jack said cheerfully.  

"Thanks, Jack," She said sleepily.  The Doctor reached under the covers to take her hand, but did so cautiously, not sure if she would accept it, with how upset she was with him.  He heard her give a heavy sigh and she turned her hand, lacing their fingers together.  He let out another breath of relief.  

Rose let her eyes flutter shut again as he finished with the bruise.  He stroked her thumb with his gently, and flicked the sonic to a different setting before laying it next to her head.  "You have a concussion, Rose," he said softly, "So I'm laying the sonic here, it's going to be there for an hour, repairing your mind.  Understand?"

"Yeah." 

He'd expected her to put up a bit of a fight, to refuse his help at all.  He supposed it wouldn't be unwarranted.  He just didn't want to let her in on what he and Jack had been talking about.  Those things were too deep, and he was in too deep, lost in her, with no hope of ever surfacing.  If she ever knew, and he lost her, he too would be lost. 

Sighing heavily, he laid the sonic down, the blue glow turning the patch of blonde hair it was closest to green.  He only wished he had something to clean up the blood with, but there were only so many things a sonic screwdriver could do, after all.  

He removed his hand from hers as her fingers went limp and scrubbed his hands over his face.  She definitely had a concussion, if it was so easy for her to fall asleep.  With every second, whether she knew it or not, she was supporting his decision to let her go, no, more like to pry himself away from her to keep her safe.  She could live a normal human life, with a boyfriend and a family and a proper job.  And a long, happy life.  She couldn't live with him forever.  She wouldn't stay. 

But, he couldn't stop the creeping feeling that came into his mind.  He'd never truly be able to stay away from her.  He'd go back, and watch her life, never say hello, he'd have to disappear, but his heart would always ache for her, what they could've had.  She'd be happy, with her husband and children in a park, and he would watch, a filthy old man who wished he could've kept her to himself.

Or, was Jack right?  Would she never marry, because it wasn't him?  He tried to brush that thought away; after all, humans had several romantic partners over a lifetime, significant other or spouse. Either way, it didn't work like that for Time Lords. He wasn't sure if he ever truly loved his wife, back on Gallifrey.  She was his wife, they were married, they had children, but none of it was done traditionally.  It was arranged and forced.

With Rose, he wanted to give himself over to her.  He watched her, sleeping curled up tight, fighting against her body to repair herself, and felt drawn to her just from one glance.  It was possible that he was much farther gone than originally thought.  And tonight they would have to share that admittedly tiny bed.  He turned and saw Jack watching him from where he was sitting, cross legged on his own bed. 

"I can practically hear you thinking," Jack said quietly, so as not to disturb Rose.  "What is it?"

The Doctor chuckled.  It felt forced even to his own ears.  "Trying to figure out how I'm going to get into that bed."

Jack smiled. "Good luck.  She's a blanket hog, you know that."

They both laughed, then, a real sound.  The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck and had a bit of trouble looking Jack in the eye.  "I'm sorry," He said, "I've not been... Well, one would hardly be able to guess that we were friends before.  And I never came back for you."

Jack nodded. "I was an anomaly, Doctor, and those make you more dangerous.  They put you in more danger, and as a result, put Rose in more danger.  I'm not angry with you."

"You're not?"

"I was trying to be nice.  I'm furious.  Look," he gestured to Rose, "When you picked her up, she was a picky nineteen year old still coming down from the hormone high of adolescence.  Now, well, look at her.  She's a woman."

The Doctor nodded mutely and murmured, "She's a woman."

Jack thought of plenty more things he wanted to say, but bit his tongue.  A moment of tenderness from the Doctor was short and rare and not to be questioned.  So instead he stayed where he was, planted on the bed, his mouth shut, with a lot of effort, mind, but shut. 

"We should work on getting the TARDIS back tomorrow," the Doctor said quietly.  "We can't get back without her, we can't _fight_ this, just the three of us."

"I agree.  She's obviously shielded herself from the Emperor.  Do you know where you parked her?"

The Doctor gave him an incredulous look.  "Of course I know where I parked.  And even if I didn't, it's _my_ ship.  She'd show me where she was."

Jack nodded and shrugged out of his jacket.  "I'm turning in, then.  Looks like we'll have a lot of work to do tomorrow."  

"Yeah."

The Doctor reckoned that he should probably get to bed as well; he'd need the extra energy behind their escape and potential attack.  Resigning himself, he moved over to the tiny bed and lifted Rose slightly in his arms, shifting her closer to the wall.  In any situation, he wanted to be closer to the door than her.  He didn't know what would be coming through there, after all. 

Maneuvering slowly and trying to keep her asleep and the sonic close to her head, he settled in behind her, drawing the covers over him as well as her.  It was nights like this when his more baser instincts came out, pre-Rassilon instincts that dictated he make sure every other being knew Rose belonged to him.  But he couldn't do that to her.  After setting the sonic to turn off after it was finished repairing Rose's concussion, he cuddled down behind her, his upper arm slung around her waist and bringing her close to him.  Against his better judgement, he pressed his nose into the back of her hair.  It was reassurance, she was here, she was alive, and against all odds, she wanted to stay with him.  He let his eyes flutter shut as her ribs rose and fell with her breaths under his arm. 

Throwing caution to the wind, he shifted up on his elbow to bend over her and press a lingering kiss to the corner of her mouth and whisper a goodnight against her skin.  He then fitted himself behind her, taking comfort in her warmth and steady breathing.  He thanked every god he knew of that she was alright. 

He hadn't think Jack had seen his little lapse in judgement.

He had.   


	15. Chapter 15

Rose woke up late in the night to feel the Doctor curled tightly around her back, his face buried in her hair.  He was clinging to her, as though she was going somewhere.  She settled back against him and let her eyes flutter closed.  Of course, she wasn't going anywhere.  And not just because there were in prison. 

She stroked her fingers along the arm that was wrapped around her waist, hoping to comfort him, if something was going on with him.  She knew he was upset that he'd gotten her into this, and she was going to do everything she could to reassure him that he was not the villain he often made himself out to be.

He started to wake up behind her, she could tell because of the way his breath changed.  He pressed a kiss to her hair and snuggled in again, and she immediately knew that he thought she was asleep.  His nose rubbed up against the base of her neck and he gave a little contented sigh. 

Rose felt her heartrate increase at his gentle sighs against her skin.  He shifted back up again into his position of nose-in-her-hair but his breathing still advertised awakness.  Her fingers stroked along his arm again and he stiffened.

"Rose, are you awake?" he whispered, his breath against her ear. 

She hummed softly and scratched her nails across his arm.  He shivered and pressed closer to her.  He seemed to realize what he was doing and scooted back from her suddenly.  Rose tugged on his wrist.  "No, come back, s'nice."

He let out a shuddering breath.  "Rose," he said in a warning tone. 

She rolled her eyes.  "Fine."

"No, I just-" he made a frustrated sound. 

Rose pressed her lips together and tried not to say exactly what she was thinking.  How she wished he'd just roll her over and kiss her and hold her and make her feel safe.  Well, at least he did one of those things.  As much as he thought that he wasn't keeping her safe, she only felt safe when she was with him.  

She turned her face further into the pillow and he followed her, cuddling into her. 

"I'm sorry," he whispered, the earnest feeling coming easily out of his voice. 

"You're not," Rose replied.

His hand on her stomach moved to stroke up and down her side. "Believe me, Rose, I am," he said lowly. 

"Show me."

He rolled as far onto his back as he could, away from her.  She felt bereft of his warmth, her back cold.  She sighed heavily and closed her eyes again, resigning herself to the fact that he was never going to admit that there was anything between them.  Every stolen moment she thought was leading to somewhere, every hug that lasted a little too long, none of it meant anything to him.  How dreadfully human of her to think that he would care for her. 

She heard him move around and take the sonic from where it was at the back of her head.  He scanned it gently over her scalp, his fingers running along after it.  "Your concussion is gone," he said softly, shutting the sonic off completely and set it down on the floor next to their bed.  

"Alright," she said softly.  "Goodnight, Doctor."

"Rose, I don't want you to think that-"

"Shh.  We have a TARDIS to catch tomorrow."

The Doctor huffed behind her and settled close to her again, his arm wrapped around her.  His breath hitched, as though he was going to sat something, but instead he leaned over and pressed a slow kiss to her cheek.  It was lingering and made her stomach clench with possibilities of things that would never be. 

"You're the King of mixed signals, Doctor," Rose murmured.

He made an odd sound in the back of his throat.  "Rose."

"Shut up," She squeezed her eyes firmer shut.  "Please, don't do this to me.  Just lay down and go to sleep."

His behavior was becoming that of someone who was trying to hold himself back.  Rose curled into a tighter ball in the bed, the covers bunching up at her waist.  He adjusted the blankets and settled behind her again, his arm no longer over her, but the back of his hand was pressed against her back.  She heard him murmur something but couldn't bear to ask him to repeat himself.

Jack rolled his eyes from the spot in his bed.  It appeared his talks with the Doctor hadn't done any good.  He wouldn't have necessarily minded if Rose and the Doctor had figured out their issues tonight, but it appeared as though the Doctor had effectively shut Rose down. 

The Doctor woke up first the next morning, seeing as though he was the one who needed the least amount of sleep.  He looked over at Rose, to see her still sleeping peacefully.  The spot where he kissed her on the cheek stood out to him, even though there was nothing to prove he had been there.  Resisting the urge to wake her with kisses up her neck, he moved away from her slowly and got to his feet, redressing in the clothes he had taken off the night and slid the sonic into his jacket.  

He adjusted his tie and looked back to Rose.  She had turned over in her sleep so she was on her other side, her hand curled up next to her face.  She was like a princess, her hair tousled, her new skin now glowing.  He was intoxicated by her, obsessed with the feeling of her skin against his.  He could still taste her skin on his lips and resisted the urge to bang his head against the bars of the cell in frustration.  

He only wanted to hold her. 

She shifted and whimpered in her sleep, and he went to her side immediately and cupped her cheek, shushing her gently.  She pushed towards the edge of the bed, subconsciously trying to get closer to him.  He stroked her cheek softly through whatever dream she was having until he heard her sigh out his name.  He snatched his hand back and jumped up, sailing a full two feet away from her.  

The sound of someone approaching their cell jerked the Doctor out of his traitorous thoughts.  Simmons was back, throwing two small loaves of bread into the Doctor and Rose's cell and one into Jack's, hitting him square in the stomach and making him snort awake.  

"I will return in approximently three hours for Rose Tyler.  Make sure she is awake."

The Doctor stiffened and tried not to clench his fists.  "Yes, sir," he said, hating how submissive he sounded.  Simmons gave a curt nod and walked away, leaving the three of them alone.  Jack was sitting up slowly, gripping the loaf of bread.  

"You guys sleep alright?" he asked conversationally.

"One of us is still sleeping," the Doctor replied.  "But... We slept just fine."  He looked up at the small window and squinted at the sunlight screaming through.  "We've got three hours to get out of here," he said softly. 

"Well, what are we gonna do?" Jack asked, frustrated. 

"You've got a window and we've got a window.  I've got an idea, but I'm not really sure if it'll work."  The Doctor twisted his sonic around and tried to change the settings to make them more to what he needed.  "Ah ha!" He said finally, excitement flooding through his system.  If this worked, it would do very nicely.  It could get them out of their own personal hell that was being created around them.

Jack was quiet for a few moments, enjoying or not enjoying his meager breakfast.  "We gonna wake her up?" he asked. 

The Doctor looked over and watched Rose for a moment, his gaze fading into something more tender.  "Let her sleep," he said softly, "She's been through a lot."

"I'd say so."

"Jack, she's sleeping, and I'll have to stand on the bed to get to the window," he said, "Look, I've set the sonic to a setting that should disintegrate some of the weaker material around the window.  It'll give us more room to slip out, but I can't lift these bars here.  You go first." He reached through the bars to hand Jack the sonic and Jack took it slowly.

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind if she woke up to you standing over her on the bed," Jack said lightly, throwing the Doctor a wink.

To his own horror, the Doctor found himself blushing madly.  "Yes, well... Oh, just get to it, would you?"

Jack chuckled and turned the sonic on, running the sonic along the wall just under the window.  After two run-overs, the block started to crumble.  Stopping himself from letting out a cry of delight, Jack shoved at the decaying material and caught the window as it fell.  "Good thing we're on the ground floor, Doc," he said cheerfully.

"Oh, it works!" the Doctor replied, reaching for the sonic.  "Jack, you need to get out, and if Rose and I don't get out in time, you need to run to the TARDIS, she'll help you there."

Jack gave him and odd look.  "You... You realize that we have three hours."

"Bad luck follows us."  He stepped up to the bed.  "Just get out."

"Wake Rose up."

"Yes, yes."  The Doctor scooped up the two loaves of bread and stuffed them into his trans-dimensional pockets.  Rose could eat them on the way, he supposed.  She should have something to eat at least.  He shook her shoulder gently.  "Rose, wake up."

Rose startled awake, and his heart ached with it, that she was programmed to wake up in a panic.  She sat up and their foreheads almost collided, but he jerked back just in time.  She stared up at him.  "Everything alright?"

"Yes, of course, Rose, I just need to stand on the bed."  He said, "I've found a setting on the sonic, one that'll get us out of here."

She grinned up at him and allowed him to help her to her feet.  "Look at you, you're all brilliant this morning."

He smiled back at her, glad that the awkwardness of the night before had passed over them.  He instantly regretted running his fingers over her arm, however, as he quickly discovered he wanted to run his fingers over all of her.  Looking away from her, he leaped up onto the bed and ran the sonic under the widow several times before the window fell.  He caught it and lowered it gently behind the bed.  He reached his hand down for Rose and wiggled his fingers.  She took his hand and let him pull her up onto the bed.  

She tried not to shiver as he ran his hand around to her waist.  He helped her through the window, where Jack pulled her through from the other side.  She toppled onto the grass with a soft 'oof' and quickly turned to grapple for the Doctor's hands.  She and Jack both helped him through easily.  They all got to their feet and stared at each other. 

Jack laughed, a rich sound that reminded both Rose and the Doctor of old times.  "We got out!" he said, then glanced back.  "Let's not waste time."

"We're parked inside, Doctor."

"I'll call the TARDIS, but only once we've gotten far enough away."  The Doctor held out a hand to her.  She slid her hand easily into his and he immediately tugged her along, jerking his head at Jack to follow behind.  They ran to the edge of the palace walls, and the Doctor knew they didn't have time to go any farther, to find doors and escape.  He growled in the back of his throat and pulled out his sonic, changing the settings and snapping it to action.  It didn't make any noise, and Rose furrowed her brows. 

"Why isn't it making any noise?" She whispered.

"I'm calling the TARDIS," he responded.

The ship started to appear a few feet away from them, and, not wanting to waste any time, the Doctor panicked.  "In, in, in, in, in," he removed his hand from Rose's to press against the small of her back to shove her into the TARDIS first before allowing Jack to go.  He disappeared into the ship last, slamming the door behind him.  

"Rose," he stepped forward and took her into a gripping hug.  She rubbed her hands over his back, trying to calm him. 

Jack smiled softly at his friends.  They were idiots, the two of them, but he supposed that was just them.  

The Doctor pulled away from Rose and stroked her cheek briefly before walking round to the console.  "Well, we've got work to do!" 

Jack patted Rose on the shoulder.  "I wouldn't worry, if I were you," he said, "We'll be just fine."

She smiled up at him.  "Oh, I know."

The Doctor turned to them and furrowed his brows.  "Oi, are you two going to talk all day?  Rose, you should probably go get cleaned up and try to get a bit more rest while Jack and I discuss this mess."

Rose gave him a mock salute and headed off down the hall.   She supposed rest would do her good after all.


	16. Chapter 16

Rose was relieved, to say the least, to be back on the TARDIS.  Despite the Doctor's efforts to cure her the night before, she still felt sore where her wounds had been and had a headache for the ages.  The TARDIS gave her a sad hum and she patted the wall as she headed down the corridor.  It seemed the ship itself was worried for Rose's well being.  

She couldn't be bothered to keep the clothes she'd been wearing.  No amount of washing would salvage them enough for her to want to wear them again, or even to put them in the wardrobe room.  That room was reserved for lovely things, after all, and there was something less than lovely about being tortured and in a jail cell.  

Sighing, she sat down on the edge of her bed, taking a bit of a breather.  She hated that the Doctor blamed himself for everything that happened to her.  Didn't he know that she'd chosen this life, that she _wanted_ it?  It was hardly about the adventures anymore, though, she had to admit.  It was more who she was sharing the adventures with, and how much she loved him. 

Rose shook herself and stood up from the bed.  She gathered up some clothes and carried them to her en suite.  It was going to be a long day, and it was really only just beginning.  There was still work to be done. 

Out in the console room, the Doctor and Jack were examining the time line of the Emperor to see how far he got with his plans.  The Doctor pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a shuddering sigh.  If he didn't do something, if they didn't do something, than planet Earth was doomed.  From there it would be a very simple domino effect until the universe was on the verge of crumbling.

"I don't understand," Jack said, his tone puzzled.  "It was never like this when I was there before.  How could this have happened?"

"Time is in flux, Jack, you of all people should know that," the Doctor replied, "And unfortunately, it's fluctuating rather greatly right now."

Jack sighed and fell into the jump seat.   "Okay, listen. We need to fix it.  How would we fix it?"  He sounded anxious, and the Doctor tried not to let his upset get to him.  He needed to be level-headed for all of them, especially Rose.   _Especially_ Rose. 

He carded his hand through his hair.  "I don't know, yet," he said, "I'm going to find out."

"I know you will," Jack said, "But what are we going to tell Rose when she gets back here?"

The Doctor paused and opened his mouth before shutting it again and making a frustrated noise.  "I don't know what I'm going to tell Rose."

"She's going to think you know the answer."

"Well, I'm trying to find the answer.  And by the way, Jack, you seem to be awfully obsessed with Rose these days," he felt his voice getting louder and angrier.  Jack didn't flinch.

"So are you."

The Doctor slammed his fist on the console. "Damn it, Jack! That's not what this is about."

"It is and you know it," Jack snapped. "It is always about her, whether you like it or not."

"What's more important," Jack started, stating it more than asking, "Sitting in the Vortex and staring at fluctuating time or Rose Tyler?"

The Doctor's jaw clenched and he looked away, giving Jack a very clear answer as to what was more important to the Doctor.  Not that he really needed an answer, he knew it full well without asking.  He only wished that Rose knew, too.

Jack watched as the Doctor rushed around the console, flipping levers and typing in codes as he murmured to himself.  Jack and the Doctor both felt a panicked hum in the back of their minds, but the Doctor understood it more clearly.  He stiffened.  

"Jack, I need you to watch this scan," he said, already taking off down the hall.

"I can't read Gallifreyan!" Jack whined, looking very much like a lost child as he stood by the console, watching as the Doctor ran along with the TARDIS's hum. 

Something was wrong with Rose, he could feel it, the TARDIS was telling him.  He had a feeling that her body had been pushed to the limit with the destruction and repair of many of the cells in her body.  It was an equivalent to skin regeneration, destroying and rebuilding her body.  He should've _known,_ especially so close to her head, that it would damage her.  He barreled through the door of her bedroom, quite past the point of knocking, and saw her laying on the floor in a pair of pajamas, clutching her head.  

The Doctor fell to his knees next to her and pulled at her, gathering her into his arms so she was half on his lap.  She shifted her hands and tugged at his jacket, burying her face in his oxford and crying out.  

He stroked his fingers over her head, wanting to soothe her telepathically but knowing that he would need her permission to do so.  He shushed her quietly, trying to calm her.  

"My head," she whimpered, crawling closer to him.

"Rose, if you cry it'll only make it worse," The Doctor scooped her into a bridal carry and she burrowed into him as he carried her to her bed, helping her to get under the duvet.  "At least you wore jimjams," he teased, and she was able to laugh before grimacing.  

"What's happening?" She asked, sounding afraid.  Her eyes looked up into his, fear lacing her gaze.  He reached forward and cupped her cheek, running his thumb over the bone, keeping her calm.  

"I can help," he said, sitting on the edge of the bed, by her hip.  "It's... Telepathic, I'd have to get into your head.  Would you be alright with that?"

Rose nodded, absolute trust and something else he was afraid to name filling her eyes.  "Yes," she whispered.  

She sat up, leaning heavily against the headboard as he shifted so he was closer to her.  He cupped both her cheeks and slid his fingers into her hair.  "The contact," he told her, "It should help calm you and keep you sorted.  The sonic, it must have over-repaired you.  I can fix it, I'm pretty sure..."  He watched as she closed her eyes and leaned forward into his touch.  

Furrowing his brows, he closed his eyes and gently prodded at her mind.  She opened in an instant, which surprised even him.  

"Picture a door over anything you don't want me to see," he whispered.  "I promise I won't look."

To his complete shock, all the figurative doors of her mind flung open, letting him see anything he chose to.  He almost laughed when he saw that her doors were labeled.  That was something he'd never seen before, when in someone else's mind.  

There were many labels, such as 'childhood' and 'Christmas' and 'ex-boyfriends', but as he got past the more normal things, including 'aliens' and 'Technobabble' he hit a door at the very end of her mind's hall, simply marked 'Doctor'.  It was the only door that actually held a name.

He wanted to look, _oh,_ he wanted to look, but he couldn't do that.  She'd given him her trust and he wasn't about to waste it.  Shaking away the doors, he crept deeper into her psyche, trying to find what was causing her pain.  

And then he found it.

The sonic had alerted Bad Wolf, and it had been trying to get free.  Thankfully, Rose was strong enough to fend it off, and he sighed heavily in relief at that.  She would be fine, but she needed contact.  He was foolish to think that she wouldn't after such a traumatic event.  Bad Wolf was Rose crying out for help, whether it was to him or to her, and she thought she was in danger, since she was alone soon after the healing.  

 _You just need someone with you, Rose,_ he told her in her mind, _The wolf was trying to get out of its cage._

_Oh, sorry._

He jolted.  It was impossible, really, that she would be able to talk back to him in her head.  She would've been able to hear and receive, but this was something else entirely.  A whole new kind of trouble, really.  

_Not your fault.  It's okay, I just need to... Stay here, with you._

_Okay._

_You don't mind?_

_No, this feels nice._

They were quiet for a few moments, their minds mixing together, before he slowly pulled out of her mind, his fingers still resting in her hair.  "I'm sorry," he said out loud, stroking her hair back.  "I should've known that any contact would've helped you with the healing."

She gazed up at him.  "It's fine," she said, "Besides, it doesn't hurt anymore."

"It doesn't? Oh, good."

He watched her awkwardly, and Rose laughed.  "You can stay here while I nap, if you want."

The Doctor nodded.  "Well, I should, at least.  I'm going to get something to help us with this whole mess, I'll be right back."

He rushed back out to the console room to grab a portable screen from the TARDIS.  Hopefully, he'd be able to do the work he needed to do from Rose's bed.  Jack stopped him before he could rush out again without telling him what he was doing. 

"Why did the TARDIS call you?" he asked urgently, "What's going on?"

"Rose, her head," he gestured vaguely next to his forehead.  "Bad Wolf, and the skin regeneration, and the concussion.... So close to her head, it's causing her a lot of pain, and she needs contact to help it down.  I'm going to take this with me," he held up the device, "And try to figure something else while I'm with her.  You keep looking out here."

Jack nodded, worried enough about Rose and the sake of universe to not be worried about throwing an innuendo into the situation.  His jaw was clenched as he watched the Doctor take off down the hall at top speed.  

"Okay, girl," Jack patted the TARDIS console.  "Help me figure out what to do."

The Doctor re-entered Rose's room to see her already curled up in the bed, grimacing in pain.  The Doctor toed off his shoes and crawled under the duvet without hesitation, rubbing her shoulder with his free hand.  She turned over, facing him, and resting her head against the crook of his shoulder.  He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, trying to ease her pain in any way he could.  Moving his hand to run through her hair, he started up the mini-pad that he could easily read the TARDIS's readings from.  She relaxed against him, whimpering slightly in pain for a moment before silencing. 

He continued to stroke his hand through her hair and had assumed she was asleep before he heard her ask, "What are you doing?"

"Trying to figure out what to do," he murmured into her hair.  "I'm looking up data on here, what the future stands like now, what we can change."

"I want to help."

The Doctor sighed, her head rising and falling with the movement.  "Rose," he said gently, "It might be best if you stay here."

She stiffened but he didn't cease his motion, wishing to calm her.  She huffed out a breath.  "I'm going with you, no matter where that is."

"Rose."

"Doctor."

"That was quite the tone there," he chuckled, going through calculations.  

She sighed.  "Time is always changing, Doctor, you said that yourself.  If what's changing is the Emperor, maybe we can't take your 'pacifist's way out' this time."

"What are you saying?" He asked, feigning disinterest as he scrolled through page after page of Gallifreyan notes.

"You passed what you want," Rose said, reaching out to scroll back up to something he'd skimmed over.  She rested her arm around his waist and continued.  "I'm saying that we should kill the Emperor. 

"Oh," the Doctor squinted at what she'd picked and selected it.  He had scrolled past it rather quickly, it was a virtual map of the palace and- wait.  All of this was Gallifreyan.  "Rose, I have two questions."

"Yeah?"

"One, what makes you think we can kill the Emperor?" He asked, afraid to hear the answer to the question he really wanted to ask. 

"It's either that or world domination, Doctor.  And we don't want that.  He has the forces to capture us, he knows you're a Time Lord..." She drifted off.  "I know our life is dangerous but this is almost too dangerous.  If we're caught again there won't be any getting out of it and I think you know that."

"I suppose you have a point there," he said softly, examining the map and not quite wanting to admit that she was right.  That was most of the reason he wanted her to stay behind though, so if they got caught and he and Jack were in trouble the TARDIS would send her home.  Might do, anyway.

Rose cuddled closer to him, seemingly subconsciously.  "What was your second question?" She murmured sleepily, and he breathed a sigh of relief.  Rest would be good for her, no matter what the case.

"How did you read the Gallifreyan on this pad?" The Doctor asked quietly. 

"It's Gallifreyan?" was her only response.  After that, she drifted off to sleep, leaving the Doctor awake alone to worry.


	17. Chapter 17

The Doctor, as a rule, usually didn't panic.  But as Rose drifted off to sleep with her words still ringing in his head, he found himself doing just that.  She'd read Gallifreyan.  Without even thinking about it.  He shook his head and looked at the map that she'd shown him.  Regardless of how she'd found it, it was what he'd been looking for.

It was a very detailed three-dimensional map of the Emperor's palace.  The Doctor started where they'd entered the ballroom, trying not to think too hard about Rose's solid and comforting weight against him.  She kept rubbing her cheek on his chest in her sleep, and it was one hundred percent distracting. 

The palace was massive, and he wasn't sure how he was going to figure out how to navigate into the Emperor's lower quarters.  They'd been there once before, but it had been a trek to get there, he remembered.  And all the hallways looked the same.  He slammed his head back on his pillow, or rather, Rose's pillow, and sighed heavily.  

Rose said he should give up the 'pacifist's way out'.  He was starting to think she might be right.  How could they come up against someone so big?  He was a ruler, had thousands of people, maybe more, if he was underestimating, behind him.  It appeared him being the last Time Lord didn't matter here.  He was used to people bending to his will simply because of that, and it wouldn't work here.  Lifting his head, but refusing to release Rose in any way, he went back to his virtual self-led tour.  He wasn't finding anything and he resisted the urge to groan in frustration.  At this point, he was considering throwing his tiny computer away and curling around Rose to bathe in the comfort she gave him. 

She was giving him comfort anyway, he supposed, with her arm around his waist and her head on his chest.  He pressed on in his research, for her, mostly, because he wanted to find another way out, didn't want another life on her hands, or his, even.  That didn't stop him from pressing a fleeting kiss to her hair, where she would never feel it and never know it happened.

Of course, he also wanted to kiss her properly.  A lot.  And he almost had, had wanted to, back in their cell.   _Oh,_ he'd wanted to kiss her, and was certain that she would've allowed it.  If he'd just given in, pulled her sweet lips to his...

He cleared his throat, forcing that train of thought to derail and throw itself off a cliff.  It was inappropriate for him to think of her in that way, no matter how often he seemed to forget that and thought about her that way anyway.  Especially now, when she was curled up around him, placing her trust in him to protect her in her sleep.

She shifted in her sleep, running her sock clad foot up his leg.  His eyes slammed shut as he tried to focus.  Even in her sleep, she was a complete tease.  He continued to scroll around, focusing but still getting lost in the stark white corridors of the Emperor's palace.  That was, he focused until Rose grunted in her sleep.  He wondered if she would notice if he put himself in a small coma to get through the next hour or so.

********

The TARDIS was simultaneously keeping her eye on the Doctor and Rose in Rose's bedroom _and_ Jack,seeing what they were coming up with.  Jack was running around, being very gentle with the console but he was pressing buttons.  He knew which ones would take them into flight, thankfully, and didn't use any that would harm them.  The TARIDS made sure of that more than he did, however.  

Jack was panicked, mostly because he knew that despite the Doctor's best intentions, he probably wasn't doing what he thought he was supposed to be doing.  Knowing them, they were probably talking each other up, reminiscing and generally not doing anything helpful.

They were probably making those besotted faces at each other that neither thought the other made, too.

"Come on, old girl, help me out," Jack murmured, patting the console.  The TARDIS hummed soothingly in his head, sort of letting him know that she really didn't know what to do in this case.  Truth be told, it was a new situation for her as well.  Daleks she could handle.  Crazed Emperors who wanted her Thief, Wolf, and Time Agent?  Now, that was another matter entirely.  At this point she was considering locking them in to keep them safe.

Jack sank down onto the jump seat.  "I just want to help," he explained.  He received a reassuring hum from the TARDIS. 

"I can't even read Gallifreyan," he said mournfully.  

The TARIDS sent him a mental image of the library with a wave of query.  Maybe there was something there?  Jack sat bolt upright and kissed the console.  "You sexy thing!  Great idea!"  He tore down the hall towards the library with the TARDIS giggling in the back of his head.  

**********

Rose was now half-awake, and that was much more distracting.  She was moving around and flexing her fingers against his side, making his eyes roll back in his head as he charted out a plan for getting into what he now saw as the Emperor's War Bunker.  He was preparing well, but kept making wrong turns in his plan because Rose would hum or scratch her nails against his side and that really wasn't fair at all. 

She mumbled something incoherent and pressed a kiss to his chest.  He jolted and the tablet launched up, hitting him, and he scrambled to pick it up again.  He expected her to ask him what the hell he was doing, but instead she just snuggled closer to him, throwing her leg over his before drifting back off.  

How was she still sleeping??  Surely any pain had worn off and she should have woken up, ready to go fight the Emperor with him.  It appeared she was very preoccupied with getting as close to him as possible, though, so he was having a hard time focusing.  The map, luckily, could be taken along with them, he told himself.  Rose shifted her cheek against him again, and he shuddered.  He dragged himself back to the process at hand when he felt her stretch against him, waking up.  

She yawned, her breath warm as it made its way across his chest, and hummed in the back of her throat. 

"Sleep well?" He asked, his voice far rougher than he would've intended it to be.

"Yeah, fine," She responded.  "My head doesn't hurt anymore.  Thanks for staying with me."

"Of course," he said warmly, resisting the urge to drop a kiss to her hair again.  "You were right about the map, by the way."

Rose made a happy sound that made him smile.  "Was I?  Good for me."

"I would still like to know how you read Gallifreyan," he said, trying to sound nonchalant.  

"Like I said, I don't see Gallifreyan," she replied, "It's English."

"The TARDIS doesn't translate Gallifreyan, she never has."

Rose grunted and the sound met his ears, "Well, she does for me."

"She never-"

"She _does,"_ Rose insisted.  She sat up and suddenly the Doctor felt bereft of her warmth.  She leaned back against the headboard and snatched the Doctor's tablet from his hands.  Sighing, the Doctor followed behind her, sitting next to her and looking over at it.  

Rose scrolled along on the little screen.  She flicked through some of the options and pulled up an options menu, also written in Gallifreyan.  "Yeah, look," she said, pointing at it.  "'Dimension shifter', 'GPS', 'Language translator', 'thermal generator'," She gave him a pointed look.  His mouth was open and his eyebrows raised in shock.

"Rose, that's _Gallifreyan,"_  He said, pointing madly at the screen. 

"It's English."

"Well, you read it... I don't know how, I don't-" he clicked his teeth shut and heaved a heavy sigh, "How are you doing that?"

Rose groaned in frustration and started gesturing wildly, "Because it's not Gallifreyan, Doctor!  That's circles and swirlies and it's all over the TARDIS, but this, _this,_ is English!  I can read English!"

The Doctor was still seeing Gallifreyan, but had to resign himself to the fact that no matter what the circumstances were, and how odd they were, Rose Tyler was definitely reading it, and easily at that.  Something was happening, though he couldn't tell what.  He cleared his throat and took that tablet from her.   "Well, then, you'll just have to help me figure out what to do," he said simply, giving her a look.  

"I told you what we should do," Rose leaned her head against the headboard, "We can't let the Emperor live, it's too dangerous."  She gave him an appraising look.  "I think somewhere deep down you know that."

He did, of course he did, because he looked at every side of the universe and did his best to make sure everything was looked at evenly.  In this case, he had to appeal to Rose and look at her side of the situation, what she thought it would be best.  It was also no secret that he always wanted to do what she thought would be best, and as a result had seen more romantic comedies in a year than he had in his whole life. 

Sighing, he looked away from her and back to the map.  "I've been tracking a path that will take us to his Lower Rooms, where he took us before he imprisoned us."  As he spoke, he wound his way through the corridors to show her.  She was watching intently over his shoulder as he continued.  "It'll be dangerous, we're going to have to let Jack take his blaster."

"And what if anything in the palace interferes with the signal on this thing?" Rose tapped the side of it, "What then?"

The Doctor blew out his cheeks and tried not to address how nervous he was about this whole plan, regardless of the decision of what they were going to do.  It was risky, though not as dangerous as other things they had done.  Still, Rose was at risk, which was something he never liked.  "We'll be fine," he said, "We're just going to have to hope that nothing interferes."

"Okay," Rose said, and his heart lurched.  She trusted him implicitly, without any explanation.  He simply said the word and she agreed, knowing he had her best interest in his mind and in his hearts.  He always did and always had, even when he much rather would've pretended otherwise. 

"It'll be fine, Rose, I promise," he said, a bit more urgently, more to convince himself this time.  He had a bad feeling about how their encounter with the Emperor would go.  She could get hurt, or worse.  "But I still stand by the idea that you stay here."

She was silent for a moment, but he could feel her getting ready to retort.  They were too in sync, the two of them, to avoid each other for too long.  Finally, she said, "Look at me."

He started babbling, his only response to any sort of intimate behavior of any nature, platonic or not.  "You could watch after the TARDIS, Rose, I have no doubt that she would be in good care in your hands.  Jack and I could take care of the Emperor while you have a nice cup of tea and-"

He was cut off by her hand pressing to his cheek, forcing his head to turn, making him look at her.  "Listen," she said sternly, "When I told you forever, I meant it.  And that forever includes doing things that could hurt me or get me in trouble.  Forever includes protecting you just as much as you protect me.  I'm not some damsel for you to preen over."

Against his own well, he set the tablet on his lap and reached over to lay a hand on her knee.  "I know you're not," he said tenderly, probably more tenderly than was appropriate, but after her words, he was past caring. 

"Glad that's sorted," she said. 

"I didn't say that meant I wanted you to go," he retorted.

"Doesn't matter what you want," she told him, "I'm gonna.  That's that."  She seemed to hesitate slightly, then pulled him towards her, pressing a kiss to his forehead that was decidedly not chaste. He supposed he could let it slide, just this once.  She crawled out of bed and headed over to her dresser.  She started rooting through her clothes and then looked at him.  "Well, go on, get Jack, let's go."

Still bewildered and a little bit confused, the Doctor got out of her bed, gathered up his effects, and left the room to go in search of Jack. 

When he found him, he was in the console room with a massive map.  "The TARDIS told me she gave you a digital map on your doohickey," he said, gesturing at the Doctor's tablet.  "I found a physical map in case that one shorts out or is interfered with."

"Thank you Jack," the Doctor said, stuffing the tablet into one of his bigger on the inside pockets.  He sat down and started about putting his shoes back on.

"Did you enjoy your cuddling?"

" _Jack."_

"Okay, okay.  Let's just get this over with."

The Doctor nodded solemnly.  "Let's just get this over with."


	18. Chapter 18

Jack was trying to figure out how to fold the physical map when Rose came in, dressed to run, tying her hair up in a ponytail.  She watched how the two men were not talking to each other, the Doctor tinkering with his tablet.  Furrowing her brows, she stuffed her hands until her hoodie pockets.  "You boys have a lover's tiff?" She asked, her voice light.

"No, of course not," The Doctor sputtered, and gestured for her to come over to him. She did so willingly, staring up into his serious face.  "I know that you want to come with us, Rose, but-"

"Shut up," Rose said, "I'm coming with you.  I can help.  I _have_ helped."

"You were beaten."

"That's past, you can't change that.  What we can change is the future, yeah?  So let's get to it."

The Doctor nodded and pushed his tablet back into his pocket and adjusted his coat on his shoulders.  "Ready?" He asked Jack over his shoulder.

Jack had managed to stuff the map into his own, decidedly smaller, pocket, and so he looked up and nodded.  "Yeah, just about.  What's the plan?"

"We don't have one," The Doctor said.  Rose bit her lip, saying nothing. 

The exit from the TARDIS was the most careful it had been.  It was late in the afternoon, now, and they were being searched for.  Guards, dressed in their stark white uniforms with blood red sashes, were walking about with what were clearly ray guns.  Rose swallowed hard and touched her hip.  The Doctor threw her a worried look which she waved off.  Nodding, the Doctor took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze but not letting it go. 

"What now?" Jack asked, closing the TARDIS doors again, keeping them hidden as they were before.  "There's tons of guards."

"It's almost nightfall, the guards won't search through the night," the Doctor replied.  He looked at Rose, who looked flustered.  "Are you alright?"

"I'm trying to get out of here, I just want to get things done, yeah?"  She wouldn't meet his eyes.  

He found that what he most wanted to do was to kiss her until she felt safe, but instead he just cleared his throat and squeezed her hand again.  "Well, we could just fast-forward to nightfall," he suggested. 

"No!" Rose and Jack shouted at him at once. Rose smiled sheepishly and patted his arm.  "Sorry, Doctor, but sometimes you... Well, you miss."

"Well, alright then," the Doctor sniffed.  "We've only got about an hour anyway, seeing with the time of year."

They waited by the door, with Jack peeking out whenever he got bored, which happened to be about six times every ten minutes.  The Doctor hissed at him to stop at least three out of six times, but he never stopped. 

When the hour mark was up, Jack was the first one to shoot out the door, the Doctor and Rose coming along behind him.  The Doctor refused to remove his hand from Rose's, which worried her slightly.  Usually, in situations where they were putting themselves in danger, he released her hand so that if they had to run she could go and if he caught up he'd snag her hand.  

Now, though, his knuckles were white with the force with which he was gripping her hand.  She ran her thumb over his, trying to comfort him.  He was afraid she'd be beaten again, she thought, but he had to know that she could protect herself now, when she wasn't bound up.  They'd be just fine. 

They made their way to the entrance of the castle they were going to go in.  Jack flirted with the guard at the door, who was easily enamored by him and let them in easily.  The Doctor made a mental note to actually thank Jack.

Once inside, things instantly darkened.  The palace had no lights on, making Jack curse under his breath with the inability to see.  Rose was glad for her hold on the Doctor's hand now, with him and his superior sense of sight being able to guide her.  They walked slowly as the Doctor pulled out his tablet and started following the GPS system on the map.  It was easy to walk along then, the dim light off the screen shining right up into the Doctor's face and a bit in front of them.  Rose looked up at him, lost in the careful expression in his face. 

"This way," he whispered, tugging her down a corridor with Jack on their heels.  They walked along, took a few more turns and walked down a staircase before the tablet shorted out.  The Doctor cursed quietly in Gallifreyan and stopped walking, smacking the tablet against his leg.  

Jack batted at his hands and then reached into his own pocket to pull out the tightly folded map.  He unfolded it slowly, careful not to make much noise at all, and handed it to the Doctor.  "I can't see," he whispered by way of explanation.  He had to let go of Rose's hand to take the map but encouraged her to loop her arm through his.  She did so easily, trying to squint and read the map in the darkness. 

They made their way along slowly, with Rose glancing anxiously over her shoulder to look behind her, to see if someone was following them.  Of course, no one was, but she was still completely anxious.  The Doctor turned his head to look at her and shushed her gently, even though she hadn't spoken.  She supposed it was just to soothe her, but it didn't really have the desired effect.  Instead, she just wanted to tackle him to the ground right there.

Swallowing hard, she turned back to face in front of her.  They made their way down to the room that the Emperor had taken them to before, but they hadn't expected the Emperor to be there, sleeping with his head rested on his hands, which were on the table, over his plans, which had multiplied since they had been there last.  

The Doctor shot up a hand to put a finger to his lips.  Rose bit her lip, her eyes focusing in on the man who represented so much evil.  She waved for the Doctor and Jack to go farther into the room, and once they'd done so she shut the heavy door and locked it.  The Doctor gave her an odd look and she couldn't really bring herself to meet his gaze.  

The Emperor was still sleeping, wearing a silk dressing gown and looking to Rose like a man who was all too comfortable.  She ripped his papers out from underneath him and shouted "Wake up!"

He jolted, moving back in his seat and staring up at Rose.  A smile slowly crept across his face.  "There you are, my dear Rose."

Rose's jaw clenched at the same time the Doctor's fists clenched.  Jack patted his friend sympathetically on the back.  She leaned her hands on the table, staring at the Emperor.  

"Hello," she said, her voice stone cold. 

"You look wonderful for someone who's been beaten," the Emperor said, leaning forward and onto the table.  "Beautiful."

"Shut up," Rose retorted, "I hate what you've done.  I'm going to fix it."

"Rose?" The Doctor asked cautiously, cocking an eyebrow.  This was unusual behavior for Rose, but never, even when she had been possessed by Cassandra had she been so _angry_ at someone.  "Rose, what are you-"

"Quiet, Doctor," She gave him a fond look, one that did something odd to his stomach, and glared back at the Emperor.  "You plan to do awful things to the whole universe, if it'll let you."  Her voice sounded with an odd echo as she said, "And I won't let you."

Jack stepped forward, holding a hand out.  "Now, Rosie, wait a minute."

"Yes, _Rosie,_ do wait," the Emperor said, putting his fingers in a steeple in front of himself and smiling smugly at her.  

Unfortunately for the Emperor, that little move did nothing to assuage Rose's anger.  Instead, she grappled at her hip and pulled out a long, shining knife.  "You wanted to kill me slowly," She said, "I'm gonna make it quick, not for me, but for the worlds you want to destroy.  This will not be the pacifist's way out."

"Rose, you might want to hang on, you don't know what you're doing."  The Doctor said, his voice quavering in fear, not for himself, or for the Emperor, but for Rose.  She'd have blood on her hands, blood she couldn't wash out. 

"Doctor, I do," Rose replied, her own voice firmly in place.  "I've wiped out the Daleks, and I wouldn't have done it if you weren't in danger.  Now, though.  Now, whether you admit it or not, there are worlds in danger.  The universe, if we're not careful, you said so yourself.  We have to kill him, we can't negotiate out of this."

The Doctor had to acknowledge that she was right.  One look in the Emperor's eyes told him that this was a man who could not be reasoned with.  After the Time War, the Doctor hated killing more than ever.  He didn't, he _couldn't,_ and he used to think that he wouldn't.  But when he saw Rose, trembling with anger and fear, he knew that he had to protect her.  In fact, it was a deep, primal instinct, a want to protect her, to hold her close as he caused the death that she was about to.  

He walked to her and wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled the knife from our hand.  She let him take it without a fight and sagged into him.  The Doctor's heart warmed at the notion.  Of course, she hadn't wanted to kill him.  She was so strong, his Rose.

"There we are, Rose," the Emperor crooned, clapping his hands together lightly.  "Isn't that better?" 

He spoke to her like a child, and was, for all intents and purposes, demeaning her, but she held his eyes contact, her head still tucked under the Doctor's chin.  

"That's enough," The Doctor said coldly.  "She's right, she's always been right.  There's no pacifist's way out, no way to make this peaceful.  You are the scum of the Earth, the dirt under my feet."

The Emperor stood, pushing his chair away from him.  "I could call for guards right now, and then what would do?  Be right back where you started.  I'm trying to give you a fair shot, a chance to surrender, a chance to join me.  You could each have your own planet!  You, Time Lord.  You could make your own Gallifrey."

"Shut up," the Doctor said, readjusting his grip on the knife.  "I don't want another Gallifrey.  What I want is the people of this world, of this entire universe, safe.  That's my job.  Rose, Jack, and I.  It's what we do."

"And you think you couldn't protect the world as a leader of an entire planet?" The Emperor spread his arms out, displaying the papers he had.  "It's a beautiful world, Doctor!  You could own it!"

"Stop it!" Jack shouted, and the air hung heavy with silence as all eyes in the room turned to him.  His chest was heaving with anger.  "I have seen hell," he said darkly, "I die and I die and I die and I come back.  Every time I die there's someone new to greet me, another horrible reality before my heart starts beating again," he pointed at the Emperor, "And you're worse."

The Emperor said nothing, only set his jaw and stared at Jack, his chest puffed out a bit, trying to win or something similar.  He was still fighting, at three to one.

"And I've skipped around time, just like the Doctor and Rose, and dictatorships are hell on Earth too." He looked at the Doctor and Rose, wrapped around each other with a knife between them.  His gaze softened.  "They've both committed genocide," he said quietly, "They've done things they shouldn't have had to do, and I've made it out scotch-free."  

Before anyone could protest or really comprehend what Jack was doing, he grabbed the knife from the Doctor and launched it across the table, embedding it in the Emperor's throat.  He choked and the seconds seemed to move in slow motion.  The Emperor leaned over the table as Rose screamed, his blood dripping onto the papers laid out before him.  He coughed and pulled the knife out.  The Doctor gathered Rose to him, his hand across her shoulder blades and the other hand at her hip, and tried to turn away, seeing where this was heading, but wasn't quick enough.  

With the skill of an expert knife-thrower, the Emperor threw the knife, shining with his life's blood, across the table, and sent it singing into Rose's back, before collapsing onto the table.


	19. Chapter 19

Rose's back arched as she cried out in pain, the shock hitting her painfully.  Her hands gripped into the Doctor's arms, a sob tearing at her throat as he stared over her shoulder at her back.  He held her up, his hands clutching at her more than holding her as he looked at her in horror.  Jack's face drained of all color as he looked between the now dead Emperor and his friend collapsing in the Doctor's arms.  The Doctor was panicking a bit, his fingers grappling at the bottom of Rose's shirt, as he called out her name, trying to keep her to him.

"Rose!" Jack shouted, and started stammering over a tearful apology, not knowing what to do.

"It's not your fault, Jack," The Doctor said, his hand fluttering over the knife in Rose's back, not sure what to do.  His eyes never moved from her face.  "We have to get her to the med bay."

"Can we make it back the TARDIS?"  Jack asked anxiously.

"We have to try."  The Doctor scooped Rose up into a bridal carry and she screamed, fisting her hand in the lapel of his jacket.  Jack watched as the Doctor's eyes brimmed with tears and he gazed down into Rose's contorted face.  "I'm sorry, I know it hurts, but you might lose too much blood if we take it out." 

"I know," the words coming from her sounded barely human as she buried her face in his chest.  He let the tears spill the second she wasn't looking and nodded towards the door.  Jack unlocked it and flung it open, and the Doctor ran forward, pushing past his friend like a man possessed.  Jack was hot on his heels, following as he choked painfully on his own guilt.  

They weren't too far down the first hallway when red alarm lights dropped from the ceiling and started spinning and flashing wildly, accompanied by a loud blaring sound.  The Doctor swore loudly, running faster, trying to get Rose to the TARDIS faster.  

"Doc, got a gun in those pockets?" Jack asked, knowing the answer full well. 

"For the first time in all my lives, I wish I did," the Doctor shouted over his shoulder.  Jack knew that both of them were blatantly not addressing the fact that their only weapon was lodged in their best friend, who was now passed out in the Doctor's arms, hanging limply.  The Doctor was trying to blink back all his tears, still murmuring to Rose, words of comfort and encouragement, trying to keep psyche with him.  

The guards started coming in, shouting and confused.  One man shouted out "There!  They killed the Emperor!" and they all started screaming, shaking weapons at the three before chasing them.  Jack knew exactly what he had to do.

"Take her and run," Jack shouted, "I'm going to try to hold them off!"

"You can't!" The Doctor shouted back even as the guards started to gain on them.  

"They can't take me!" Jack yelled, hinting at his little 'condition'.  Of course, no one would be able to truly kill him, even if he left this planet battered and decidedly less pretty, it would be worth it.  To save them both.  

They managed to run faster than the guards until the exited the palace, all of them catching up in one horrible moment.  Jack turned around and punched one of the guards square in the face.  This distracted the rest of the guards and one of them speared him through the side.  Jack cried out and the Doctor squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, trying not to focus on the sound. He kicked the door of the TARDIS open, apologizing telepathically to her.  The TARDIS forgave him frantically, filling with concern as she felt Rose's pain through the wink telepathic link she shared with the girl.

"Med bay, please!" The Doctor shouted out loud, his voice strained and hurt.  He kicked open the first door the TARDIS showed him to, which was the med bay.  He laid Rose on her stomach on the examination table, wincing at her moan of pain.  He stroked her hair back and murmured an apology before stumbling over to his computers, hoping to find out what to do. 

Jack was still fighting off the guards, who were now trying to get into the TARDIS.  "Wait!" He shouted, "I have a deal for you!"

The guards stopped, but stayed close to him, on watch.  "What is this that you propose?" one of them asked, his voice stiff and cold.  "You killed our Emperor.  It was you."

"Yes, it was me." Jack said, standing tall.  "I propose this: You can kill me, and leave my body here to _rot,_ as your Emperor's body is rotting, and you let my friends go."

The guard seemed to consider this, as he was apparently the leader, and only hesitated for a few moments.  Before Jack could rescind his deal, the guard pulled out a short dagger and stabbed Jack in the chest.  He pulled it back and cleaned it in the grass as he collapsed to the grass, blood pouring out of him.  

"Let's go," the guard said gruffly, looking over his dagger before sheathing it and giving Jack's body a disgusted look.  "We will waste no more time on this scum.  We've killed the one we needed to."

The guards filed back into the palace, now in mourning for their Emperor.  Jack's heart started beating moments after they left, but it was painful and slow.  This was not something he would recover from quite so easily.  He got up, wheezing painfully, and opened the TARDIS doors, slipping inside before collapsing inside, catching his breath.

The Doctor, meanwhile, had pulled the knife out of Rose's back, agonizingly slowly, heard her scream in fear and pain, and heard her heart rate plummet.  He pressed gauze into the wound after seeing that no major arteries had been severed.  He stroked her hair back from her clammy skin as he did this, mumbling sweet words to her as she whimpered in pain.  Her heart rate went back up slowly, and her breathing evened out, though she was still bleeding quite a lot.  He furrowed his brows at how quickly her body was trying to recover.

He worked carefully, stitching her up.  He didn't have time to give her painkillers, couldn't even think about it, he was so hell bent on saving her life.  One of her hands clenched in the sheet covering the medical table as she whimpered in her discomfort, and the only thing the Doctor wanted to do was lay his hand over hers, to reassure her, to keep her safe.  He hadn't even done that.  He couldn't keep her safe. 

As she was crying out in pain, he was trying to play the role of a steady-handed doctor as he whispered his love for her.  She was too perfect, she couldn't go out like this.  He wouldn't let her.  She meant too much, was too precious.  

Her blood coated the sutures and he winced at every pull of the stitches he was sewing into her back.  He was immensely grateful that the Emperor had missed her spinal cord, preventing paralysis.  On the other hand, she would take days to recover, laying on her stomach.  

Jack, having healed a bit, stumbled to his feet, hand clutching his chest.  He took a heavy breath and made his way back towards the med bay, trying not to alert the Doctor to his presence.  He had more important things to worry about, of course.  He waited outside the door until he heard the Doctor's heavy sigh of relief through the door. 

He entered slowly, trying not to stumble too much.  "Hey, Doc, got a band-aid?" He asked, a smile in his voice.  The Doctor offered him a smile and gestured behind him.  Rose was laid out on her stomach on the bed, white as the sheet that the Doctor had draped over her.  The hand that would've been hanging off the bed was in the Doctor's hands, cradling it tenderly.  

Jack shucked off his jacket, wincing, and gathered up some of the Doctor's alien supplies to help his wound.  "Is she going to be alright?"

"I'm just glad we have the technology we have, here," the Doctor responded, pulling Rose's hand to his mouth.  "She's hooked up to an IV for a blood transfusion, she's lost almost too much but I'm... I'm pretty sure that's all, she'll be alright.  Stitches, a little discomfort, but that's a small price to pay."

Rose moaned and shifted in her sleep.  The Doctor shushed her gently and kissed her knuckles, trying to calm her.  At the sound of his voice directed at her she stilled, her features relaxing.  The Doctor offered Jack a look.  "She's also on loads of painkillers."

"I'll bet," Jack winced as he started taping up his wound.  "Got any of those left, by chance?"

"Of course," The Doctor pressed an absent kiss to Rose's hand and laid it back on the bed before going to rummage around for his heavy painkillers.  He handed Jack a bottle of liquid painkiller from a faraway planet and returned to his station at Rose's side.  "I... I'm sorry, Jack, that you had to do what you did to save us."

Jack would've shrugged if he wasn't in pain.  Besides, the Doctor wasn't looking at him.  "I would always protect the both of you.  And besides, I can't die."

"You were still in pain," the Doctor pointed out. 

"Briefly," Jack replied.  "I'm going to get some sleep, that's usually what helps me heal up.  Don't stay up too late."

"I'll stay up till she's up," the Doctor replied. 

Jack patted the Doctor on the back.  "I know you will," he said sympathetically.  Though Jack wanted to stay with them both, he sensed that the Doctor and his stress needed some time alone, and he also needed to be with Rose.  She was very much his after all, and Jack knew when to leave, even when it was his best friends. 

The Doctor barely noticed Jack leaving, so focused was he on Rose.  He scooted closer to her and ran one of his hand through her hair, soothing her.  "I'm so sorry," he whispered to her, taking her hand in his free one again.  "I'm sorry."

Her breathing was steady, the painkillers clearly kicking in.  He was relieved to see her in less pain, even if he was the one who, second handedly, caused her the pain to begin with.  He held her hand to his mouth, needing to feel a connection with her.  He wished she was awake to talk to, so she could reassure him that she was alright, that she was staying with him. 

He hung his head.  Why would she stay after this?  Never before this trip had he put her through so much physical pain.  He leaned forward and leaned his head against the medical bed by her upper back, so he could hear her heartbeat.  He heard her breathing change; she was coming slightly out of consciousness, but he could tell that it would only be momentary.

"Doctor?" She whispered, her voice hoarse from crying out and screaming.  He lifted his head slightly so he could look at her. 

"I'm here," he replied softly. 

She smiled up at him, looking drowsy and drugged.  She lifted her hand from his and slid her fingers into his hair.  "Hi."

He grinned at her.  "Hi."

Her eyes started to slip shut, but she forced them back open, staring at him as her hand moved from his hair to sloppily cup his cheek.  

"You can sleep, Rose.  You _should_ sleep, really," he told her, though he was relishing in her touch her consciousness.  He felt selfish for wanting her near and awake, looking into his eyes like that. 

"I want to watch you," she said, "I'm okay, don't make that face."

"What face?"

She stroked her thumb lazily over his cheek.  "You know, it's not your fault.  I was the one that brought the knife."

"I know it was," he said softly, "I'm proud of you, my brave Rose."

She smiled and fumbled for his hand again as her eyes drifted shut.  She heaved a heavy sigh, trying to burrow under the sheet.  With his free hand, he lifted the sheet up to her shoulders so she could feel as though she was more covered. 

"Aren't you gonna kiss me goodnight?" She slurred at him. 

He chuckled.  The painkillers were bound to make her feel a little loopy.  He hesitated, but leaned forwards to kiss her forehead gently.  "Goodnight," he said. 

He almost didn't hear what she mumbled to him.  "I love you," she said softly before her breathing grew heavy again.

He dropped his forehead to her hand.  God help him, he loved her too.

 

 


	20. Chapter 20

Rose woke to the Doctor clutching her hand, asleep with his head on the table by her waist.  His breath was hitting her arm, and she tilted her chin slightly, wanting to look at him.  His features were relaxed in sleep and she found that the urge to run her hand through his hair was overwhelming. 

She didn't remember what happened after she was stabbed.  She knew better than to try to shift, already able to feel where the cut was in her back.  It was deep, that much she knew.  Having the urge to move something, she flexed her toes and only her toes before settling again.  She was still feeling tired, drifting in and out of consciousness.  

There was no sign of Jack.  She opened her eyes fully and glanced around the room but didn't see any indication that he'd even been in the med bay.  She felt her brows furrow in worry.  Was he alright?  She wanted to ask the Doctor, but with as little as he slept, she didn't want to wake him.  Her fingers were still gripping his and he was holding her just as tightly, even in sleep. 

Worrying her bottom lip, she stroked her thumb over his.  He made and odd little sound in his sleep and shifted closer to her, the arm that wasn't attached to the hand holding hers was across the backs of her legs.  She smiled a little at that. It was rare that the possessive and protective side of him she'd known in her previous Doctor came out.  It made her feel wanted, special, and she loved it.  Even though she knew he didn't love _her,_ the fact that he cared enough to try to keep her safe made her heart warm.  

He was very close to her now, his grip on her guarding, even in his sleep.  She felt safe.  Her eyes slipped closed again, though she wasn't fully asleep.  She hovered on the edge of consciousness for several minutes until she heard the Doctor stirring next to her, waking up.  He let out a long sigh through his nose and pressed a kiss to her hand before sitting back, drawing his arm across her legs, moving it back to his own side. 

She let her eyes open and he looked at her fondly. He smiled at her and squeezed her hand.  "Hi," he whispered.  

"Hi," she replied, flexing her fingers before gripping his hand again. 

He watched her carefully for a few moments.  "What do you remember?"

"Nothing after I was stabbed," she mumbled, forcing her eyes open.  "What happened?"

The Doctor heaved a shuddering breath.  "You collapsed and we had to take you back to the TARDIS.  You're hooked up to an IV, although, your blood transfusion should be done by now."

Rose furrowed her brows at him, "How much blood did I lose?"  She asked, almost afraid of the answer.  

"Too much," he said, just above a whisper.  He averted his gaze from her and she squeezed his hand, trying to get him to look back at her.  He wouldn't. 

"Hey," she said, tilting her head a little.  "I'm here now, yeah?  Here, and fine, and safe."

"You wouldn't have been stabbed at all if you'd been at home," he said softly.

She scoffed, then winced. "You idiot, it can be just as dangerous on the TARDIS, you know that."

He closed his eyes, looking pained.  "No, Rose, not the TARDIS."

His meaning finally dawned on her, and she felt anger boil up from the stomach.  She cursed herself for not being able to sit up and look him in the eye, so she just squeezed his hand as hard as she could, which, unfortunately, was not very threatening or very hard.  "We are _not_ having this conversation, " she said sternly. 

"I'm afraid we are," he said, still not looking at her. 

"Doctor, that is not up to you!" She cried, and winced, "It was my decision to bring the knife because I knew you wouldn't do it, even though we needed to.  I'll tell you something you already know, Doctor, you need me, whether you like it or not, you need me."

"I _know!"_ He shouted, and stood up, pulling his hand from hers.  "Damn it, I know I need you, but I don't need you dead.  You almost died in my arms today, Rose, do you know how that feels?"

"Yes!" Rose yelled back, and regardless of the pain, pushed herself up to sitting.  She cried out in pain and held him off when he tried to come to her.  She sat straight, aligning the stitches she could feel in her back, and gave him a dark look.  "You died right in front of me, Doctor.  How soon we forget."

"That was different!"

"It bloody wasn't!" She was near hysterics now, her head and back pounding furiously, but she couldn't be bothered to care.  "It wasn't any different!  You _knew_ you would come back, but I didn't!  How would I know?  You never told me.  For all I knew, whoever the hell was in my mother's bed why dying slowly and painfully."

An odd look flashed over the Doctor's face, but it didn't stay long.  He opened his mouth to reply, but she pointed at him and he closed his mouth again, confused. 

"That, that right there," Rose said, her voice quieter and quavering.  "You hide from me. I'm your best mate, Doctor, you know everything about me, but you hold yourself so close you won't let anybody in.  Maybe that's why you're so miserable!"

He winced.  She was right on the money, of course.  "I'm not... I'm not miserable."

"Yes you are."

"I'm _not,"_ he insisted, stepping towards her.  "It's you, Rose, you make me less miserable.  But you can't do that if you're dead."

"I can't do it if I'm not here, either," she protested.  "You have no idea what goes on in my head, Doctor."  She lifted her hand to her hairline and swallowed heavily.  "I don't feel well."

He did go to her then, one hand massaging her temple and the other on the table by her hip.  "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have started this conversation right now," he apologized.  

"You shouldn't have started it at all," she said, looking away from him, unable to look him straight in the eye.  

"Lay back down," he whispered, helping her lay back on her stomach so that she could lay with the stitches even again.  He pushed up her shirt to inspect the damage she'd done to it. Luckily, it was only a little irritated with the movement.  He pulled the shirt back down and pulled the sheet back up to her back.  

"Where's Jack?" she asked tiredly.

"He's recovering."  

Her eyes widened.  "What happened to him?" 

"Don't panic, it's alright.  He's a bit immortal." He smiled weakly, "Bad Wolf.  You made him immortal in your god like state.  He was stabbed, but he's just got to lay down for awhile and he'll be good as new."

Rose closed her eyes in pain.  "I've ruined him."

"You haven't.  Now he can shag his way through time and space."

"Stop it," She said.  He ran his hand through her hair and tried not to let his heart jump too far into his throat when she pulled away from him and turned her face away from him.  He brought both hands to his lap and clenched them together in his lap.  It was his fault, he knew, he was pushing her away as hard as he could, and she was done fighting.  He couldn't say that he blamed her. 

"He's happy," the Doctor whispered, "He is, though he'll never say it.  He likes being immortal, knowing nothing can kill him.  He makes his way, he found us after all.  He'd be dead, period, if it weren't for you."

"I don't care," She muttered tearfully.  The Doctor wanted nothing more than to crawl up onto that bed next to her and cuddle up to her side, his arms around her and his face pressed into her hair, comforting her easily., 

"Rose..."

"Enough," Rose brought her hand up to her face, which was still painfully away from him.  "Just go.  If you want me to leave, I will, but just don't be here.  It hurts too much."

The Doctor got up, staring down at her, memorizing her, but not wanting it to be this way.  He wanted to memorize her with her hand wrapped in Gallifreyan hand fastings, her smiling face beaming up at him.  He wanted to remember her holding their first born child, and second, and however many more she wanted.  He wanted to remember her here with him.

He wanted her. 

But he couldn't have her, of course.  He was not meant to.  She was perfect, of course, and perfect for him, but that didn't matter.  He had to send her away, send her home.  She'd be safe there, have a husband and babies, proper ones.  He found himself squeezing his eyes shut, trying to force the tears back, not wanting them to come to him now.  

"Rose."

"If you're gonna stare, just wait until I go to sleep, okay?" She said, her voice now completely full with tears.  His hands twitched at his sides as he longed to gather her into his arms.  Never again, though.  Her hugs would be a fast-fading memory, as well as her hand in his.   How perfectly she fit with him.  As if they had been made for each other, regardless of species or time period. 

He hung his head and shuffled out of the med bay, shutting the door behind him.  He wished he hadn't had his superior Time Lord hearing then, because he heard the first choking sob that racked her body.  Outside the door, he pressed his back to the door and slid to the floor, his head in his hands. He released his own tears, tears he'd held onto for too long.  

*******

Jack was recovering nicely, the TARDIS humming at him encouragingly with a touch of worry tinged in her 'voice' that he knew wasn't for him. 

"What are they doing?" Jack asked, anxious and exasperated all at the same time. 

The TARDIS showed him an image of Rose sitting up, much to early, to shout at the Doctor.  Jack sank back into his pillows, closing his eyes and sighing.  "Really? He's sending her away, still?"

An affirming hum.

"Well, you can't let him!" Jack protested, "You can't!" 

A regretful hum.

"You can't stop him, can you?"  Jack sighed deeply, but the movement hurt his chest.  He grimaced and pressed his palm over the bandage.  The TARDIS sent him a panicked hum and he waved her off.  "I'll be fine, it's them I'm worried about, you know that.

Another affirming hum.

"She makes him so much more," Jack marveled, though if it was to the TARDIS or to himself he wasn't sure anymore.  "The two regenerations of him I've met, they're so completely different, and that's because of her.  She makes him like that."

A happy hum with a wave of affection towards Rose pulsing through it. 

Jack smiled at the TARDIS's reaction.  "And you love her too.  He's a fool.  She won't leave him."  He furrowed his brows.  "She can't."

********

Jack went back to sleep, which the TARDIS thought was just as well, because really, it was time he got some rest, after dying and all.  She watched her Thief crying outside the med bay as the Wolf cried within.  She sent him an angry hum.  He was a fool, she told him.  

He was blocking her, wallowing in his own grief for a woman who had not yet left him, for a woman who did not want to leave him.  Giving the time ship equivalent of a huff, she turned her attention to Rose, letting affection sweep over the young girl. 

Rose stopped crying, her breathing reduced to heaving hiccups.  She pressed her knuckle to her mouth, trying not to cry harder as she felt the TARDIS comforting her. 

"I love him," Rose whispered, and the TARDIS hummed in agreement.  Of course she did. 

"He's an idiot!" The TARDIS agreed again. 

There was not much the ship could do except comfort the Wolf until her breathing evened out and she fell asleep, exhausted and hurt.  All were asleep except the Doctor, who was very much awake.  And, the TARDIS had to agree, very much the fool.  

She gave a resolute hum.  There was not much she could _do,_ of course, but there was something she could try.


	21. Chapter 21

The Doctor came in to check on Rose multiple times through the night, but every time she had her face turned away from him.  It frustrated him, because he wanted to see her face, mostly because she was about to be taken from him. 

But she wasn't, was she?  He was sending her away, for fear of something that would happen to all of them in the end.  He talked to her though, let her know what he was doing, checking her bandages and stitches.  

At about four am, he was washing his hands and preparing to remove her IV when she finally spoke.  The sound of her voice rocketed happiness through him until he'd realized what she'd said.

"Send Jack in instead," she ground out, as though it hurt her to say the words. 

"What?" His hands dropped to his sides, and he knew he sounded defeated.  In a way, he was, but only by his own actions.  She still wouldn't look at him.

She shifted and whimpered a bit at the pain it caused her.  He wanted to go to her so badly, for her to let him heal her.  He approached her IV, taking careful steps because if he _wasn't_ careful he'd fling himself at her and beg her not to leave him.  This wasn't about him, it was about what was best for Rose. 

When he walked to start unhooking the IV, her eyes were closed, and it occurred to him that she was intentionally not allowing him to establish focus on her eyes.  He knew that she knew he sought comfort from eye contact, especially from her.  She was denying him that.  

"I want Jack to check on me from now on.  Gonna be here for a few days, yeah?  Wouldn't want you to suffer."  Her words weren't cutting or mean, as it could easily be interpreted.  It was probably how she wanted them interpreted, but he knew her too well, could read her like a book.  She thought it was the best for him, and that's why she was doing it.  

That didn't stop his hearts from twisting painfully in his chest.  She really was trying to send him away.  The irony didn't escape him that this was what he had done to her: sent her away without asking her how she felt, he had told her how it was and that was that.  She was doing the same to him now, and he found he couldn't be angry at her for it.  She was right.

"Jack doesn't have-"

"He'll do fine, I think," she snapped.  "And you can give him instructions.  Besides, I haven't seen him since... Since."

He finished with her IV and resisted the urge to brush her hair back from where it had feathered out over her face.  "Alright," he whispered around tears.  He headed towards the door but her voice happened to pipe up and stop him.

"If I hadn't brought the knife, would you let me stay?"

He closed his eyes, swallowing down the tears that threatened to creep up on him again.  He'd cried enough the night before, this was too much.  "Rose..."

"Okay, fine," Rose sounded so _tired._ "Fine."

He opened the door and stepped out, and just before shutting it he heard her whisper something that certainly wasn't meant for him to hear.

"You promised you wouldn't send me away again."

Jack was the one who tended to Rose later that afternoon, helping her to the loo and get something to eat.  She had to sit straight up like a board but was allowed to go to her room.  She changed into pajamas, with little to no assistance from Jack because it simply embarrassed her to be incapable of something so simple.  It took her twenty minutes to do so without him.

Finally, she lay carefully propped up in bed, as the Doctor had instructed Jack to do. 

"I know what he said," Jack said finally, "The TARDIS told me." 

"Maybe if I were like you he'd let me stay," Rose said, wringing her hands.  "Immortal."

"He told you."

"Yeah."

Silence fell between them and Jack blew out his cheeks.  "He's a mess without you, Rose."

"Obviously he's not.  Fully functional, the TARDIS hasn't blown up yet."

"Yet," Jack repeated meaningfully.  "Listen, he was giving me the instructions on what to do to make you comfortable for your recovery and his voice kept cracking.  He just cleared his throat and moved on, saying that maybe he was getting a cold and yes, Time Lords had colds."

"Oh, poor him," Rose furrowed her brows, her eyes flashing with anger.  "If he knows he's gonna miss me so much he shouldn't be sending me away at all.  It's never been my decision to stay, has it?  It was all until he gets bored with the people he's with.  It's what happened to Sarah Jane, it's what's happening to me."

"Stop it," Jack said, in an authoritative tone.  "He's sending you away because he's too close to you.  Yes that's stupid, idiotic even, but he's the Doctor and you know what he's like.  The worst thing you can do is just sit down and take it."

"I told him to stop taking care of me, that's not sitting down and taking it," Rose replied stubbornly.  "If he wants to see me because he wants to see me, he can still come in here, and he hasn't."  She blinked suddenly, as though she were about to cry.  Heaving a heavy breath, she waved her hand vaguely.  "So that proves enough for me."

Jack pulled her into a careful hug, wary of her stitches as well as the emotional damage she was most certainly suffering.  

"You're both killing me, you know that?" he said fondly.  He pulled back from her and fetched her painkillers before getting ready to leave.  

"Did we fix it?" Rose asked, "The whole 'universe becoming a dictatorship' thing.  Is it alright?"

Jack shrugged.  "The Doctor hasn't checked it yet."

She settled back into her pillows and nodded solemnly.  "That's it, then."

"That's what?" 

"My last trip."

***********

Rose was right.  The Doctor was planning for that to be her last trip.  To see the good she had done, what her sacrifice had brought the universe.  

He was in the console room, very carefully piloting them back to the Emperor's palace three hundred years in the future.  It was far enough in the future that it would be a good time to check and a safe buffer for any mistakes made by him or the TARDIS.

He was interrupted by a very angry Jack Harkness walking into the console room and flinging himself onto the jump seat, glaring at the Doctor.

Unperturbed, the Doctor arched an eyebrow at him.  "A bit tetchy, are we?"

"You're gonna be," Jack snapped back.  "I was just with Rose."

"Yes, I suppose you would be."

"She said you could go see her anytime, and you haven't.  Why not?"

The Doctor sighed, pressing in final coordinates and looking over at Jack.  They would wait there, on the lawn, until Rose was physically ready to go out.  He looked at his friend, still seething with anger.  "Jack, I can't look her in the eye.  Not now that she knows-"

"That you've given up on her?  Yeah, she _does_ know that now, but only because you told her," Jack snapped.  "You could go to her right now, beg your apologies and hold her at arm's length forever and she would still stay.  You know that."

He hesitated.  "Yes, Jack.  I know that."

"You also know a normal human wouldn't heal as fast as she is."

"I do."

"Go to her."

" _No."_ The Doctor's gaze was dark and hard as steel.  "She's safer with Jackie, back on Earth, back among all of them, where she can be happy."

"She'll never be happy," Jack countered.  "All her life she'll think about you, how it would've been to live with you forever, like she really wants.  What would it have been like for her to live a lifetime in your arms, Doctor?  I know you've thought about it just as much as she has."

"Stop it."

He didn't.  He was on a roll now.  "You could walk into that room and kiss her and she would never question it, only take it, take you, for what you are.  She doesn't fear you, Doctor, and that's what scares you the most!"

"Get out!" The Doctor shouted, slamming his hand down on the console.  "Get out of here!  I don't care where you go, Jack Harkness, you can stay in this bloody TARDIS for all I care, but I don't want to see you!"

Jack stood, the Doctor's anger frightening him, yes, but he would never show him that.  He was too proud, and didn't want to give the Doctor any more power than he already had.  Lifting his head high, Jack turned on his heel and walked from the console room, feeling a mental breakdown building in the room behind him.  

The hallway had never seemed so long, and he wanted to turn and see what, exactly, the Doctor was doing now, but was distracted by the door to his left opening.  Rose poked her head out, looking worried. 

"You were fighting again," She said bluntly.

"What are you doing out of bed?"

"I was going to come find you, to help, I-" She stopped, bit her lip, hard.  "I thought someone was going to get hurt, and you've just been injured, and the Doctor, he seems... Emotional."

Jack scoffed and ushered Rose back into her room, following after her.  "Yeah, emotional is a good word.  You can't stand until tomorrow, what are you doing?"

"Clearly I can stand," Rose replied as he helped her under the covers. 

He took up a seat next to her bed and watched her carefully.  "How much of that did you hear?"

She was having trouble making eye contact with him. "Enough."

"Enough?  And how much is enough, exactly?"

She smiled tightly at him, like it was an incredible effort to do so.  "Once the yelling started."

Jack felt his face fall.  He rubbed his forehead and groaned.  "I'm sorry, Rose, I never meant for you to-"

"I know you didn't," she told him.  "And I don't want the Doctor to know I heard anything."  She looked over at the clock, which read 8:00 (relatively, of course, they were on a time ship).  "I'm going to bed," she said, "I can't... I can't be awake anymore, not when I feel like this.  Standing tomorrow?"

"After we get you drugged up with painkillers," Jack told her, able to give her a smile once her beaming one returned to her face.  He gave her a chaste kiss on the forehead.  "Goodnight, Rosie."

"Goodnight."

He slipped from the room, his heart heavy from the conversation he'd just had.  He went to the galley to get something to eat before he himself retired.  He didn't want to stay awake with all the mess raging around him anyway. 

The Doctor was sitting in the jump seat, his elbows on his knees and head in his hands.  He refused to let himself cry again, he'd done enough of that for his whole regeneration.  Besides, what would Rose think of him?  What _did_ Rose think of him?  Probably that he was an arrogant sod, dictating her future as he was. 

He couldn't help but feel curious about her, though.  Something had changed about her.  She was different.  How she'd healed, how readily her body had accepted a transfusion.  It had been too simple to heal her.  That scared him most of all.  If she had an illness, been bit by a vampire-esque creature that was turning her into one, well... That would be the worst thing of all.

It was possible, of course, that something happened to her within the last couple of trips.  Now, though, he couldn't check.  If he asked her if he could run a few tests on her, she would certainly tell him to sod off.  There would be plenty of call for it though.  He ran his hands through his hair and sighed heavily, staring off into oblivion.

Unable to stand it any more, he stood up and went to change into his jimjams and go to bed.  He wouldn't have to think about life without her when he was asleep.

Rose woke up late in the night needing a drink of water badly.  Disregarding anything Jack had said about not standing until the next day, she got up, if a little slowly and a little stiffly.  She touched her back lightly and marveled at how it didn't feel painful, just a little tender. 

She made her way to the galley, hoping a cup of tea would help her go back to sleep.  When she found her way to the room, though, she found the Doctor already there. 

Rose made to turn away, not wanting to turn this into an altercation. "Sorry," she blurted out as he looked up at her. "I'm gonna... I'll go, I didn't know you were in here."

He stood and made his way to her quicker than she could run away in her current state.  He took her by the arm.  "No, if you need something, I'll help you."

She sent him an incredulous look.  "I can make tea."

The Doctor's arms hung at his sides, like he wanted to jam his hands in his pockets,   but there was a lack of those in his jimjams.  He regarded her as she walked stiffly to the counter to start making her tea.

"You shouldn't be standing just yet," he said carefully. 

"Yeah, I know, Jack told me," she said.  He was surprised to hear no hostility in her voice.  "I just needed this and didn't want to wake anyone."

_Anyone._

_Anyone!_

That included him!

"Rose, I just wanted-"

"I know you mean well, Doctor, believe me, but you have to realize that sometimes your way isn't the only way," Rose said, effectively cutting him off.

He sat heavily in the chair he'd vacated to go to her and rested his head in his hand. "I know," he whispered.

Forgetting her tea entirely, Rose turned around and looked at him.  "You don't.  Because you didn't ask me what I think, because you _know_ what I think.  I heard your fight with Jack earlier."

He couldn't meet her eyes when he heard that. 

"Come here."

"Rose."

"Come here."

Sighing, he stood and went to stand before her, looking at her nose instead of the eyes that were piercing him.  She lifted her hands, with some effort, to cup his cheeks. 

"Rose, don't hurt-"

"Shut up," she said quietly, and that was enough to get his mouth to clamp shut.  She smiled softly at him.  "I know that seeing what we've done, what we've fixed, is my last trip," she admitted. "And I know that you're sending me away, even though you want me here.  So I'm saying goodbye tonight, when you can hear me with your mind on only us.  Understand so far?"

He nodded mutely, focused on the way her mouth wrapped around words and the feeling of her hands on his skin.

"I love you," she said bluntly.  "Okay?  I do, and you doing what you're doing isn't going to change that."

His eyes widened and he opened his mouth, meeting her gaze, but she shushed him harshly.

"You don't get to talk, you can talk for England.  But you have to remember that, somewhere on Earth, after you take me there, I am, loving you."  Her eyes started to fill and she blinked them back, because of course now was not the time to get emotional.  "Whenever things get hard for you, remember that, yeah?  Promise me."

Taking this as permission to speak, pushing back the urge to tell her how much he loved her and needed her.  He pushed back the urge to fall to his knees and beg for her forgiveness, to please stay with him, even if he was a prat.  Instead, he whispered "I promise."

She breathed out a sigh of relief.  "Well, good." She tugged him down gently, pressing a lingering kiss to the corner of his mouth.  "I love you, my Doctor."

She slipped from the room, and he really couldn't figure out how she'd left so fast with a hurt back.  It felt as though his hearts were going to come out of his mouth, and we wasn't exactly accustomed to the feeling.

He shuddered a sigh and sat down on the floor, putting his head in his hands.  He had the distinct feeling that he would die the moment she set foot out of the TARDIS doors.


	22. Chapter 22

Rose didn't exit her room much after that night, nor did she speak with the Doctor often.  She did very little until her stitches were healed and she could walk, run, and lift her arms over her head without hurting herself.  Jack informed the Doctor that there would be a scar, and he felt a twinge of guilt, knowing it had been his fault, since he couldn't protect her. 

He loved her.  Of _course_ he did.  He'd wanted to tell her when she'd confessed her own love that night in the galley.  He wanted to shout his love for her to the world, and whisper it in her ear, just so she would know.  She was the only one who needed to know, and she was the one who would never know. 

It killed him, to not be able to tell her, but as he double checked their coordinates to make sure they were in the right place _and_ time, she entered the console room, and his heart soared with her presence.  He had to force down the urge to throw her his widest smile and throw his arms around her, pulling her to him.  His fingers twitched and he offered her a tight, closed-lipped smile. 

"Hello," he said, refusing to admit that his voice sounded timid.

"Hello," She replied, wringing her hands in front of her.   He hadn't said anything proper to her since she'd told him she loved him.  And now that she'd said it, he could see it in her eyes when she looked at him, in her posture, in her expressions.  And, the greedy sod he was, he wanted more of it. 

He averted his eyes from her and cleared his throat.  "We're about three hundred years in the future, well, the future from where we were of course.  If we're correct, there will be absolutely no danger."

"Right, because we're always lucky," Rose said cheekily, forcing a smile from him as well.  

Jack sauntered into the room then, shoving out the heavy mood that had settled over the room.  He touched a hand to Rose's upper back as he passed her, carefully above her scar.  "How are you feeling?" he asked, "Sure you're up to it?"

The smile she'd been struggling to hold on to slipped and she nodded.  "Yeah," she told him, "No reason to put it off, I guess."

The Doctor felt rocks in his stomach at that, and he sniffed hard, trying not to let the tears that had been gathering for days fall.  He was a _Time Lord,_ for goodness sake, he would not cry over a human woman. 

He scolded himself for that bit the first moment he thought the words.  

They exited the TARDIS and stood outside the palace.  Any trace of Jack's blood where he'd been killed was gone, and the palace was no longer stark white.  It was now faded, not into disrepair, simply into a more relaxed appearance.  Rose clenched her hands at her sides, resisting the urge to lace her fingers with the Doctor's.  That was what they did, she remembered, but not anymore.  Jack, sensing her despair, slung an arm around her shoulders.  "What do you think, Rose?" He bellowed, "Less crazies?"

She gave him a weak smile, showing that she was trying.  "Yeah, don't think there are any stab-happy psychotic Emperors this time around."

The Doctor couldn't bear to look at either of them and set off in front of them.  Surprised by his actions, Jack dropped his arm from Rose and urged her along.  The Doctor clearly wasn't going to wait for them, so Jack tried to fill the void in Rose and took her hand in his, setting a gentle pace she could follow.  She heaved a shuddering sigh and Jack squeezed her hand. 

"I know," he whispered, "I'm sorry you have to go through this."

"It's not _your_ fault."

They made their way to the front of the palace and the Doctor announced himself very loudly.  A speaker clicked from inside the castle and an excited female voice called out "The Doctor?  Rose Tyler?  Jack Harkness?"

The Doctor furrowed his brows, unable to answer.  Jack did it for him, shouting back, "That's us, sweetheart!  Show us your pretty face!"

The voice giggled and replied, "The legends tell you as a charmer."

The massive doors to the palace opened and a young girl of about sixteen or seventeen ran out, ceremonial dress on her.  It was clear she was some sort of royalty, and she was practically beaming.  "They said you would return!" She said, and flung herself into Jack's arms.  

Jack patted her back awkwardly, not sure what to do.  "Yeah, hi, who said we would return?"

"The prophecies, of course!" She said, pulling back and looking up at Jack.  "And you!" She directed her attention.  "You, the Time Lord, bringing us back from the brink of destruction.  But none of us would be alive today, or at least happy, if it weren't for Rose Tyler," she looked to Rose and smiled broadly.  "I have idolized you since I was a child.  You are the most valuable woman in our culture."

Rose colored deeply and wrung her hands.  "Guess it wouldn't do for you to believe I used to work in a shop, eh?"

"Doesn't matter what you did," the girl replied, "It's about what you do."

"What else are these stories telling about us?" Jack asked, quirking an eyebrow mysteriously.

The girl grinned widely, and the three travelers rather thought her face was going to crack.  She threw her arms out and let them smack her legs on their way back down.  "Well, you make it seem as though it's all an adventure.  But it's a story of torture, and perseverance, and cunning," her gaze flitted between Rose and the Doctor.  "And love."

The Doctor clenched his jaw and looked away just as Rose was looking to him.  When she saw he would not make eye contact with her, she dropped her gaze to the ground.  It was hopeless.  This was it.  She plastered a smile on her face and lifted her chin.  "So, then, you want to show me what you lot have been up to for three hundred years?" She asked.  

The girl looked startled.  "Oh!  I've been so rude.  My name Princess Rowina, now come with me!"  She grabbed Rose's hand and pulled her into the palace.  

"Careful on the back, Rosie!" Jack said, and Rose threw him a perturbed look at him over her shoulder before following the girl.  He turned to the Doctor, who had a look of unrestrained longing on his face.  

"She just picks the culture right up," he said, then snapped his jaw closed, realizing too late that he'd said something at all.  

Jack sighed softly.  "It's a love story, Doctor."

"She told me," he whispered. 

Jack felt his eyebrows rise of their own accord.  "She did?  When?"

"She went to the galley for tea, and I don't think she was planning to," the Doctor said, "But she said she wanted me to know, and to always remember that she... That she loved me, no matter where I went."

Jack rolled his eyes and started following where Rowina and Rose had gone.  "You're an idiot!" he shouted over his shoulder.

"I am _not!"_

"You are!" Jack waited until the Doctor caught up with him to continue.  "She's willing to give herself to you, even as you throw her away like she's trash, which you and I both know that she's not."  He rubbed his forehead.  "She loves you with every piece of herself."

The Doctor made an odd sound in the back of his throat and jammed his hands into his pockets.  "I have nothing to say to you."

"Doesn't matter what you say, Doctor, because anyone can see it when you look at her.  You pretend you don't love her, and you're a fool."

The Doctor did not speak again, but it was clear he could tell which way Rose had went because he led Jack straight to a library, where, sure enough, Rose was sitting with Rowina.  The girl was a whirlwind of energy around Rose, showing her this book and that book, all written about the three of them and their adventures. 

"You're here!"  Rowina said happily, "Rose said you'd find us.  I didn't really believe her."

Rose gave a timid smile but only made eye contact with Jack.  "Well, I'm usually right," She said, a cheeky undertone in her voice that masked the mood she was actually in.  It wouldn't do to be miserable in front of the young princess, not when she was so happy to see them. 

"There are recounts in this book of everything," Rowina said, handing the book to Rose.  "It documents the appearance of the cells, your torture, the Emperor's plans, and the gentle coursing of love in the midst of it all."  She sighed dreamily, holding the book to her chest.  "The cells you were kept in are an exhibit now, no longer in use of course."

Rose smiled timidly.  "I hardly think that we deserve-"

"Stuff of legends, we are," the Doctor said wistfully, causing Rose's eyes to snap up and stare at him, almost through him.  He wouldn't look at her, but his eyes were soft and filled with what she would call tenderness if she were foolish.  

"Yeah," She replied, "Stuff of legends."

Rowina watched Rose carefully.  "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought up the torture.  It must have been awful.  And being stabbed, you poor thing!"

"Oh, no, I'm quite alright," Rose assured her.  "I just...  It's been a while for me, since it happened, but of course you know that.  How did you know that we would return?  Prophesies aren't always true, you know."

A thoughtful look settled over Rowina's face as she drummed her fingers against the book, which was now lying her lap.  She lifted a shoulder and made eye contact with all three of them before settling back on Rose.  "The blue box you travel in?  It's a time machine." 

"Yes, it is," the Doctor said cautiously, as though afraid of what she would do with that particular information. 

Rowina gave a nod, of course, knowing that that had been the case all along.  "Well, I know from the stories of you, Doctor, that you don't always return.  Almost never do, actually.  But sometimes you do, and you wanted to check in, or at least the books said you would want to.  They said you'd want to make sure your sacrifices were worth it, that it had not been in vain."

"You're a very clever girl," Jack told her, smiling broadly, "Good thing you'll be the Queen of this rotting land."

"When I'm eighteen," Rowina said cheerfully.  "My parents died when I was very young, but I've had a very good adviser.  Would you like to stay for dinner?"

Jack blinked at how her mind worked.  A mile a minute, that one, just like another person that Jack knew very well.  Before any of them could respond, she spoke again, "Ooh!  You could stay the night too, there's a ball tonight, and Rose, I'm told you love those."

"I'd have to get a dress-"

"We have one you can borrow."

Rose didn't want to protest, and since this was her last trip, by God she was going to make the most of it.  She reached over and squeezed one of Rowina's hands.  "I'd love to.  Can't speak for the boys though."

"We'd love to," Jack piped up as the Doctor was opening his mouth to protest. 

And there was nothing for it, they were going to stay for dinner and a ball.  Rowina squealed in excitement and sprung to her feet, grabbing Jack by the hand and pulling him along to their rooms, leaving Rose and the Doctor to follow awkwardly behind. 

"Rose, your back," the Doctor said scoldingly.

She laced her fingers together in front of her.  "As long as they don't give me anything with a corset I should be just fine, I think," she replied.  "Besides, wanna make this one to remember, after all."

The Doctor squeezed his eyes closed for a split second before opening them again.  The urge to take her hand was overwhelming.  "If that's what you want."

"It is."

"We'll be a big deal."

"So what?" 

"Do you want all that attention?"

"A little attention never killed a girl, Doctor, I can promise you that."

Rowina led them to two rooms which were side by side.  The Doctor's stomach suddenly felt cold at the implications.  "Princess Rowina," he began, "We aren't-"

"Oh, I've read the stories," Rowina waved him off.  "Here's your room, Jack, and the other one is for you two.  Both have master baths and have been completely redone since the Emperor went off the wall.  I assure you the rooms will not hold bad memories for any of you."

"That's all well in good, but Rowina-"

"You remember where the banquet hall is, yes?  Meet me there in about an hour and a half, we'll dine together before the ball, but you should dress now.  I'll send some clothes up!"  She sprung off then, full of energy, and the Doctor let out a frustrated sigh. 

"I can room with Jack if it'll cause you that much stress," Rose said softly.  

There she was, thinking of him again, thinking of _only_ him, what the sleeping arrangements would do to affect him.  He knew he should, and was about to nod and take her up on that when Jack spoke up. 

"Nuh-uh, sweetheart," Jack said, "I might have a guest tonight, and neither of you can be with me.  Sorry."

"Well, that's that," Rose said.  "I'll be taking the floor, then," she pushed into the room and the Doctor followed her. 

"No, Rose, your back is hurt, you take the bed."

"We could both take the bed, and be adults, but neither of us have been acting like adults so one of us gets the bed and one of us gets to sleep on the floor.  How nice," she was being sarcastic and bitter and she knew that, but it was hard not to be.  She'd been pleasant as long as she could have been.  She was sick of him, sick of this, sick of the games they played.  

"Rose, I think I'm being perfectly reasonable."

"No, it's fine, maybe I'll just go back to the TARDIS, it'll give us time to say goodbye to each other."

"Rose I don't want-"

"You've made it perfectly clear you want me to leave, so I won't torture you by having to spend a night with me," Rose sounded near tears now, emotions building up in her in a way that she couldn't have expected, nor did she want.  She scrubbed her hands over her face.  "I'm going to take a bath."

She left the room, leaving the Doctor behind, a torn look on his face.


	23. Chapter 23

Rose didn't even give the Doctor the option to follow her.  She headed straight into the en suite and moved to run herself a hot bath.  The door was shut and locked firmly behind her, and the Doctor sighed so heavily she could hear it.  Well, if he wanted to talk to her, he knew exactly where she was. 

She checked to make sure they had dressing gowns before wrapping her hair up in a bun and climbed into the bath, sighing as the water lapped at her skin. Her eyes fell shut but she was careful to not let herself fall asleep.  She felt herself sighing and getting comfortable, the hot water soothing her back.  Luckily, she knew that it was safe for her to use hot water.  

It was difficult to relax when she could hear the Doctor pacing around outside the bathroom.  She let out a long sigh and lay back in the tub and accidentally drifted off to sleep. 

She was awakened a little while later by someone slamming on the door and the Doctor calling her name out frantically.  

"What?" Rose replied, the irritation clear in her voice.

"Rowina brought your dress and I knocked a few times.  you didn't answer, I got... I was..."

"I'm fine.  I'll come out in a moment."  Rose toweled herself off and put on a dressing gown that was on the hook.  Tying it shut, she opened the door and went into the bedroom, where a blessedly corset free ruby red dress lay out on the bed.  She openly stared at it and walked up the bed.  Her fingers ran over it of their own accord.  "S'lovely," she said softly.

"If... If you need help, I'm here," the Doctor said awkwardly.  

Rose shifted the dress around to look at the back.  "It's got a zip.  I'll call you when I'm ready."

Rowina had left her kitten heels to go with it as well, cushioning pads in them.  Obviously she hadn't known how long it had been since Rose had gotten injured.  Smiling a bit at the girl's kindness, she didn't realize that the Doctor had vanished into the bathroom and locked himself in.  She rolled her eyes and eased the dressing gown off of her shoulders and began dressing.  The sleeves were glittery, but not so much so that it was distracting.  The ballgown accentuated her waist and the low sweetheart neckline accentuated... Other parts.  

She tried to get the zip up herself, but after a few seconds knew that wasn't going to happen.  "I need your help," she called out, signaling the Doctor.  He peeked out, as if checking to see if she was really dressed, and approached her slowly. She heard him hiss softly when he saw her scar. 

"Calm down, it won't be so bad in a few weeks," Rose said harshly, "Not that you'll be around to see it get better, after all."

He was quiet, but his fingers brushed her skin more than was strictly necessary as he zipped her up, as if savoring every touch he was allowed to have.  She couldn't bring herself to complain.  Once he'd finished she pulled away from him to slip her feet into the shoes.  "I'll have to do something with my hair," she said absently, not really talking to him, more to herself.  

The Doctor was watching her, carefully, as though she were a flight risk and were just a moment from unleashing fury and scratching his eyes out.  She held his gaze and arched her eyebrow, as if to say 'well, what?'  He shook his head and looked away from her. 

"We can't carry on like this," he said as she sat down at the vanity that was provided for them and started rummaging around through the drawers. 

"Carry on like what?" Rose asked, genuinely confused, "We haven't been carrying on at all, I don't know if you've noticed."

She saw his shoulders slump in the mirror.  "Do you want me to leave you alone?"

" _I'm_ not the one who asked _you_ to leave."

Her point was made, and it shattered him, destroying him from the inside out, as he had always been afraid that she would.  He sat down on the edge of the bed, watching as she pulled out a sealed bag of little complimentary clips.  She opened the bag with some effort, and he knew that had they been on better terms, she would've asked him to open it for her, even though she was completely capable of doing so herself.  Any excuse for closeness, an odd hint of intimacy, they stole, hoping the universe was looking the other way.

Today, though, she found a brush, similarly sealed, and opened that as well.  

"It's like they knew we were coming," she said, her voice full of a sort of awe.  

"They did, sort of," the Doctor reminded her, "The prophecy, that we would return to see what we had done."

Rose hummed in the back of her throat and started brushing her hair out.  "Either that or they stock up all their rooms on hair supplies for their guests."

"Doubtful, but if you ran a hotel, I've no doubt that you would do that."

She grinned into the mirror, but didn't raise her eyes to his.  They were glassy, guarded, and for the first time he was shut off, turned away from her emotions.  Even when things had been strained between them, through his foolish stunt with Sarah Jane and Reinette, she'd openly showed her anger, made her jealously known.  He had done the same, showing her how much he despised Mickey for being the one who got to be close to her, who never wanted Adam on board.  

It hit him that perhaps she based what she showed off of him, off of what he was willing to give.  And now he was closed off, and as a result, she was closed off as well, hiding herself from him.  

He watched her delicate hands pull little pieces of hair back in the clips, giving her a waterfall of about eight clips that never truly disrupted the blonde underneath.  She was effortlessly beautiful, that he knew, still in minimal makeup because putting it on seemed like a waste of time, when she was just bumming about the TARDIS.  Until today, it wasn't like she'd be seeing the Doctor.  So she'd just put on eyeliner and mascara, and that was what she had done today.  It stayed stubbornly on her face, not elaborate enough for a ball, but elaborate enough if one was the guest of honor.  

She glanced up at the clock, missing the Doctor's wistful glance. "Dinner?" She asked, nodding up to it.  

The Doctor opened his mouth to reply, but, as if on cue, a knock sounded at the door.  "Sir Doctor and Dame Tyler?  Please come out and I will escort you to dinner," a young man's voice filtered under the door. 

"Thanks, we'll be right out," Rose called back.

The Doctor felt that familiar twinge of jealousy at the mere fact that she had opened her mouth and spoke to the man beyond the door.  How would he feel, years from now, if he snuck back to visit her and saw her with a man, with children that were not belonging to _him?_ The very thought made him angry.

He would never see what, exactly, bad wolf was doing to her.  He would never be able to share a bed with her, as innocent as it had been the times they had done it.  The sweet 'I love you' that had slipped past her lips would never be directed at him again.

He realized it then, what he had known, what he had wanted but never wanted to admit, to himself or to her. 

He didn't want her to go. 

He wanted her to stay so he could love her, so they could explore the universe, properly together, perhaps with Jack trailing along.  

But he could never ask that of her.  She deserved better than him. 

He was tempted to offer her his arm, his hand, any form of physical support, but did not.  The restraint it took to do so was quite impressive, actually.  

It turned out that the boy on the other side of the door was a beaming young servant, obviously someone who was just generally cheerful.  He smiled at Rose and beckoned for them to follow him.  He'd heard all about them, he told them, and was so honored to meet them.  Rose gushed and  _flirted_ and with every passing moment the Doctor hated the poor boy more and more.  He cleared his throat harshly. 

"Yes, well, I hardly think we'll be saying long," he said unnecessarily.  "Just the night."

Rose's face fell visibly and he immediately regretted what he'd said.  She laced her fingers together in front of her so if he had any want or wish to reach for her hand, she had taken it from him.  "Yeah," She said quietly, "Got to get back... Home, you know?  Though I'm not sure where that is anymore, with all the traveling."

She gave a half hearted laugh that the servant echoed, not knowing the depth behind it, and he couldn't, seeing as he was facing away from her.  The Doctor tried to catch Rose's eye but she would not allow it.

They were led to a new banquet hall, with deeper colors, mahogany paneling and a blood red tablecloth.  Rowina and Jack stood from where they were already at the table.  Jack offered a face-cracking grin. 

"Rose _Marion,"_ he said, looking properly dumbstruck.  "You are a force to be reckoned with, beautiful." 

She laughed and took her seat next to him, forcing the Doctor to sit across from her, a seat away from Rowina, who eyed them. She was worried that they were not sitting together. The legends weren't long, the records from those days were not wrong.  He had protected her valiantly in the face of torture and had rescued her several times, but she had rescued him just as many. 

They were _perfect_ for each other, she thought.  Could they not see that?  She exchanged a look with Jack, who seemed to be thinking something along those lines as well.  Judging by the exhausted look in his face, she would guess that he'd been fighting that losing battle of convincing them for years.  

Her mouth set into a grim line.  They were the stuff of legends as told in the prophecies, but the stories all let to one answer: that the Doctor was lost without Rose, because of a war he'd fought in.  Rowina could only offer up a helpless prayer that they would find each other that night.  It would be about more then just what happened there at the palace, but what happened in the days and years that followed. 

Rose Tyler was not happy, that much was obvious.  She ate and carried on pleasant conversation, but Rowina could tell her heart wasn't in it because every so often she'd turn around and look to the Doctor.  Her gaze was wistful but not full of the longing and upset that filled the Doctor every time she looked away and thought he wasn't looking. 

Jack carried the majority of the conversation, telling the story again for Rowina, making it grand, telling of their fabulous escape from the prison cell.  He included hand gestures and broad sweeps of the arm, which made Rowina laugh.  

In truth, he was trying to keep things from getting too awkward at the table.  It would be uncomfortable if it lagged for too long, which was in danger of happening.  Eventually, dessert was served and the conversation turned to compliments of the chef.  

Rose got to her feet once she finished eating.  She smiled and set her napkin in her dish.  "I'm going to freshen up before the ball.  See you in a bit. Thank you for dinner." 

She disappeared from the room, leaving the other three slumping in their chairs.  Rowina sighed heavily and suggested they all retire for a bit before the ball.  After all, things would be fine, wouldn't they?

The Doctor was out the door once Rowina dismissed him, throwing thanks over his shoulder.  He turned the opposite way than Rose had on his way out.

Jack turned and gave Rowina a helpless look.  "I know," he said, "They've been avoiding each other."

Rowina's jaw dropped.  "But I thought they were-"

"You and everyone else in the universe, sweetheart," he said glumly, lifting a shoulder.  "After she was hurt, he told her he was taking her home."

Rowina furrowed her brows.  "Oh, no, I don't think so.  This ball is going to force them together, I'll be sure of it. 

The TARDIS hummed happily in the back of Jack's head and he smirked, gathering what she was saying.  "Our ship, the TARDIS, says that she's going to prod them telepathically.  That should keep them close to each other."

The princess smiled winningly.  "Well then, what are we waiting for?"


	24. Chapter 24

Rose found herself lifted out of her funk as the ball began.  The Doctor had not followed her back to room, as she had expected, but she'd heard the TARDIS singing in the back of her mind.  She'd pushed her off, telling the ship she really wasn't in the mood to be cheered up.  

The TARDIS gave her Wolf a frustrated hum and flounced off in a mental huff.  Rose sighed and stayed in the room until Rowina knocked on the door again and pulled her out to the ball.  She was to be introduced with the Doctor, and they'd be hailed as heroes.  

She sighed heavily and fluffed her skirts out, looking into the mirror for a moment.  Well, at least she looked alright.  She followed Rowina to the ballroom where the Doctor was waiting, freshly suited in a tux and looking a little flustered.  Rowina grabbed her arm and shoved it through the Doctor's, forcing them to be much closer than they had been in awhile. 

They wouldn't make eye contact, but Jack gave Rowina a wink, knowing that maybe this was something that would help them.  The TARDIS seemed to agree. 

The doors were flung open and they were introduced by a loud voice as "Sir Doctor and Dame Rose Tyler, the heroes of our beautiful planet!"  

Those already at the ball turned around and applauded them vigorously.  Unconsciously, she gripped his arm a little tighter, growing a little crowd-shy.  She smiled but held onto him as though he were the last thing in her life.  And of course, to her, he was. 

"Are you alright?" He asked around a smile. 

"Yes," she said, grinning and not making eye contact with him.  "There's a lot of people here Doctor."

The urge to drop a kiss to the top of her head was almost unbearable, but he settled for squeezing her arm in his, enjoying the tiny bit of contact, absorbing it like a dying man grasping to a sip of water.  She was his Aphrodite, his Fortuna, and she no longer favored him.  Deep down, he knew that was all his fault.  He'd been deprived of her for what felt like ages, even though it certainly hadn't been that long, especially with his life span.

She held onto him all the way down the stairs, careful not to stumble, as the applause continued to sound.  He gritted his teeth and leaned towards her. "They'll expect us to dance the first dance together," he hissed, trying not to inject the tenderness he was planning on, would have done before all this mess started.  She would certainly not appreciate the sentiment, not now.  

"Okay," she said, sounding and feeling just a little bit weak.  The music swelled up, the orchestra sensing that the guests of honor were ready to dance, and he turned her, sweeping her into his arm, one arm wrapped around her waist and the other holding her hand. 

He wanted to look her in the eyes, be able to hold her gaze for as long as possible, as he'd been able to before he'd made a mess of everything.  He heard the TARDIS trying to prod him into kissing her, doing _something._ To him, the ship sounded desperate to force them together.  He shouted at her in his mind and regretted it when he felt the TARDIS recoil in hurt.  He flexed his fingers against Rose's waist and sighed, looking over her head. 

They were quiet, but not uncomfortably so.  What _was_ uncomfortable was the fact that Rose kept trying to glance into his face like she was trying to memorize him.  Whether he wanted to admit it or not, the very idea hurt the Doctor.  He would remember her forever, fighting to not let the precious memories of her fade. 

"Look at me," she murmured finally, her hand stroking over his shoulder.  

It was that gentle phrase, with her peaceful resignation that told him she'd accepted that he was going to leave her and knew he would not comply with her wish.  He was unable to refuse her, turned to stare her in the face.  He felt his hearts lurch into his throat as his eyes met her soft one.  

She smiled softly.  "Can we just... I dunno, enjoy what we're doing tonight, where we are?" 

"Yeah," he said immediately.  

As if on cue, the music slowed, and she moved forward to rest her head on his chest.  He dared to hold her a little closer, feeling that this dance was something akin to a goodbye.  He rested his head on hers, keeping all his senses, Time Lord and not, focused in on her.  She was the only important thing in the universe, especially at this moment.  

"I know you have your reasons," she said quietly, "I know why you do what you do, even if you think i don't, or can't understand."  She paused, her breath hitching, and swallowed hard.  "But I wish you didn't."

He didn't know what to say, didn't know if there was anything he _could_ say, but what he did know was that he loved this girl more than he had ever loved anyone before.  So he said nothing, clutching her tighter to him, his eyes fluttering shut as they swayed together. 

The TARDIS pushed them, with a little more subtlety now, warming all their hearts and making them feel as close as they had been before.  Oh, yes, he loved her.  The TARDIS could see it, and she hummed contentedly.  It was very good.  

He found himself humming as well, the tune along with the song that was playing.  He was holding her tightly, forgetting himself in the smell of her perfume and the heat of her touch.  

When the song ended, they both came back to themselves, but Rose's eyes were heavy with something that told the Doctor she was thinking things that he'd fought not to think since he'd met her.  He pressed a kiss to her forehead and turned to leave, but not before seeing tears brimming in her eyes.  She knew, then, that that was his goodbye, his final farewell to the woman he loved before he took her back to her mother where she belonged. 

Hanging her head slightly for a moment, she walked over to a table with drinks, taking sips of a seltzer water and wishing for anything in the world that it was whiskey.  The Doctor moved to the side of the ballroom, chatting up some of the other men.  He didn't seem to have any interest in dancing anymore.  Well, she reminded herself, that could just mean he had no interest in dancing with her.  That didn't necessarily mean he wouldn't dance with another, more classy woman, here.

The Princess was announced then, with Jack, to the thunderous applause of men and women alike.  Jack laughed good naturedly, recognizing wolf-whistles when they were for him.  Rowina covered her face and giggled, allowing Jack to lead her down the stairs and sweep her dramatically into the dance.  Rose found herself laughing too, in spite of herself.

It didn't take long before a young man came to ask Rose to dance, smiling happily at her when she said yes.  This man held her at arm's length as though he knew she was, in her own mind, off the market.  She chatted in a friendly way with him, mostly small talk, not daring to say anything too personal.  When she felt someone staring at her, she glanced over her shoulder and saw the Doctor giving her a stormy glare. She gulped and turned back to the boy she was talking with.  His hand was shy, barely touching her back at all. 

It was difficult for her to not look over her shoulder.  Mostly because she could feel the Doctor staring at her.  His gaze was heavy and angry, she could tell, and it did nothing but to make _her_ angry.  How could he?  How dare he stare at her when he wouldn't take her, claim her for himself.  To get back at him, she smiled charmingly at the boy, allowing his talk to wash over her and offering him just as much conversation.

Hours of dancing later, a fast song picked up that involved switching partners, and the boy explained it to her, a gleam in his eye. 

"You, the hero of our world, you don't know this?" He teased, and she laughed.

"No, I don't!  I only danced here one night, if you've read the stories," she said.

"Everyone's read the stories.  Oh, now we pass partners.  I'll see you later?"

"Maybe."

She was swept away by her next partner, who was a little older and had more of a fumbling step but was very charming all the same.  She continued on that way, swept through motion after motion until she was pushed into the arms of the Doctor.  His gaze was dark and she could tell by one look in his eyes that he had had _enough._ What he'd had enough of, she wasn't quite sure just yet.  She swallowed heavily as he subtly led her off the dance floor. 

The TARDIS could feel this, observing the sparks between them.  She pushed frantically, using all her power to shove them at each other, and both of them were so tired of resisting and so focused on each other that it worked. The TARDIS had broken them, pushed their minds towards each other.  Now they'd never be separated. 

He dragged her out to the balcony of the palace, a wide thing that wrapped past the door and past some windows.  It was long and wide, and the Doctor didn't notice any of that, just shoved the French Doors shut, never removing his eyes from hers. 

He grabbed her by the waits and pulled her towards the railing, not stopping until her lower back pressed against it, carefully calculated out of the view of all windows and doors.  Her hand lifted tentatively to his shoulders, confused but not allowing anything to stop her, or start her asking questions. 

The Doctor was gripping her tightly, as though he'd just saved her from some terrible demise and thought he'd never see her again.  " _Rose,"_ he choked out, and she opened her mouth to reply before he was bending down to kiss her. 

She inhaled sharply, her eyes popping open before fluttering shut, letting him take over her mouth.  The TARDIS gave a final shove and saw their timelines fall together effortlessly, leading down a very long path.  She huffed out a mental breath. Yes, this was good. 

The Doctor and Rose couldn't be bothered with any of this though.  Her hands ran up into his hair, gripping it between her fingers, holding him as close as their bodies would allow.  

He kept letting out helpless little whimpers into her mouth, pressing closer and closer and closer.  She ran her hand from the crown of his head to the nape of his neck, trying to soothe him as their mouths reached a perfect rhythm.  

She couldn't breathe eventually and had to wrench her mouth away from his, gasping desperately for air.  This didn't hinder the Doctor however, his mouth moving from hers down to her jaw and neck.  He took her skin in long gulps, frantically touching as much of her as he could. 

"Should we.... Oh... Doctor, our room?" She asked breathlessly.  

He murmured something against her skin and her eyes crossed so that she couldn't even think to ask what he'd said.  He continued to ravish her neck with attentions, biting the juncture between her neck and shoulder.  She gasped.

"Doctor!  Our room!" 

He pulled back, panting heavily.  He brushed some of her hair from her face and cupped her cheeks.  "You're beautiful," he breathed, his eyes darkening farther.  She averted her gaze, but he forced her to look at him again with a gentle nudge of his hand.  "Our room?" he asked. 

She whacked his arm good-naturedly.  "I said that twice, you plum."

He kissed her again and moved away from her, grabbing her by the hand.  "By all means, let's go."

Despite his urgency, he was able to calm himself enough to take her hand and pull her along gently, being careful with her, as though she would break.  He found Rowina easily and told her hurriedly that they would be retiring, that Rose was exhausted.  

Rowina nodded and accepted the excuse graciously before giving Jack a big thumbs up once they'd left.  

Once out of the ballroom, the Doctor began a full on spring, tugging Rose along behind him.  She giggled and hiked up her skirt with her free hand, managing a steady pace on her high heels.  They made it to their room in record time, the Doctor fumbling with the door and pushing it open before pulling Rose in after him. 

He whirled her around and slammed her bodily against the door, kissing her again with renewed urgency, kissing her until she couldn't breathe anymore and had to push away from him.  He kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her chin, working his way down, until he said "You and me," against her skin like it was the most important phrase he'd ever spoken.  

Rose's eyes fell shut.  "You and me," she replied, and he let out what was simoultaniousy the most beautiful and painful sound she'd ever heard.  

He grappled at the back of her dress, trying to pull it off, to get her closer, and she pulled at his tie.

This was it.  He had given in.


	25. Chapter 25

Rose was bracing herself for the moment the Doctor pulled away and ran, leaving her alone.  It seemed as though that was not the plan, but he was so unpredictable that she was not about to put it past him.   

He smoothed his hands over her shoulders and gazed down into her eyes.  "You're so tense," he said softly, and she let out a breathy laugh, incapable of much else. 

"I'm okay," She replied, reaching up to cup his face.  Taking her motion as a hint, or permission, he kissed her again, cupping the back of her head at the last second before her head hit the door.  She sighed into his mouth and opened her mouth, granting him access again as she whipped his tie off, throwing it over his shoulder. 

She started on his jacket, but he wouldn't remove his hands from her, so her tugging was futile until he caught on to what she was doing.  Once the garment was shed, he was back on her with a vengeance, lifting her up slightly in his haste to get close to her.  He was trembling under her touch, something she'd never experienced from a man before.  The fact that she evoked such a reaction in this man, this powerful, _powerful_ man made her feel a strange sort of awe.

Rose ran her hands through his hair, trying to comfort him even as he grew more frantic in his kisses.  When he sensed she was going to be running out of air soon, he removed his mouth from hers and kissed down her neck to her shoulders and collarbones, worshiping the exposed parts of her skin.  

"Rose," he gasped, pulling back from her as she started on his white oxford buttons.  "Rose, you know I'm a telepath... Rose, if you could, ah, concentrate, please?"

The tone of his voice was so desperate and needy that she let go of him and looked up into his face expectantly.  "Yeah?"

"My people, we... We could see, into each other's minds.  If you wanted, that is, if you were alright with, if not, I fully understand-"

She put two fingers over his lips and smiled softly at him.  "Yeah.  Show me what to do."  She bit her lip, ready to say what she thought about speaking the words that he, of course, already knew.  "I love you," she said, with conviction this time, more time than it had held before. 

His eyes filled with tears that made her heart lurch.  He took her hand in his, the winding of their fingers together giving her an immense sense of peace with the familiar touch.  "Come with me," he whispered, his voice husky, and she knew that if he ever said anything in that voice, she'd do it. 

She followed behind him to the bed in the center of their room.  He climbed up onto the bed, sitting cross legged by the pillows and gestured for her to sit across from him. 

He looked so vulnerable in only half-unbutton shirtsleeves, his converse, and black trousers, that she felt it was only fair that she even the score.  She reached back to unzip her dress, letting the silky fabric whisper to her feet, leaving her in a white underdress that she'd forgotten all about but in her time could be classified as a proper dress.  His jaw dropped as she did this and she kicked off her shoes, getting on the bed across from him, crossing her legs so her knees were pressed to his. 

"Show me," she repeated, "Show me how your people connected."

The tears that had settled in his eyes were very close to spilling, and she stroked his cheek, hoping to comfort him.  "You're close," he teased her, sliding her hand from his cheek to his temple.  She brought her other hand up to mirror the touch.  His eyes slipped closed and he reached around her arms so his were bracketing hers and slipped his fingertips into her hair at either side of her head.

"Close your eyes," he whispered, keeping the moment in the dark sacred and Rose could sense, very clearly, that this was the start of something monumental.  She did as she was told, though his face, so peaceful, was captivating her.  

His mind filled hers then, a streak of blue, brown, and green.  She heard his tinkling laughter in her head. 

_Your essence is pink and yellow-no-it's gold.  Rose Tyler..._

She giggled, unable to hold it back in the face of his joy.  She felt his colors mix with hers and did her best to pour love through the link, and he gasped audibly, outside of her mind, at the contact. 

_Rose...._

_Yeah?_

_I didn't anticipate you being such a strong telepath, this is almost... I can't hold myself back.  If we don't stop now, you'll receive all of my memories, even for a little bit, including the Time War.  I can't.  We'll be bonded._

_Show me, Doctor.  Show me you, just you._

_Just me?_

She sent another wave of love and affection through the link and it pushed him over the edge, sending his memories into her full force, his regenerations pulsing through her.  The War came in a fiery ball of pain and upset and anger, sending the emotions straight into her so she could feel them just as clearly.  

She heard a sob, a real, out of mind sob, and stroked her cheeks over the skin she could reach as he leaned forwards, pulling Rose ungracefully into his lap so that he could press his forehead to hers.  

"Why aren't you pulling away?" he whimpered, "Why do you stay?"

"Because you are not defined by the Time War, Doctor," she replied, her voice hushed and intimate.  "I stay not because of your choices, but in spite of them, do you understand?"

He made an odd, strangled sound but still did not open his eyes, and she could feel them mixing together.  

 _I don't deserve you,_ his mind admitted into hers, _I thought if I sent you away you would live a better life, that you would be happier, but if you leave, then it's me who won't be happy.  You were right, Rose, I need you._

_My Doctor._

_Yours._

His kissed her again then, the telepathic link adding so much more to it than was there before.  Their emotions exploded between them, knotting their time lines in such intricate ways that they could never be undone.  If the Doctor were to open his eyes he would see the gold glowing all around his precious girl, and he'd want to run his tests as soon as possible. 

As his tongue slid against hers, he found it more difficult to keep the words inside him.   They bubbled into his throat multiple times, and he tested the bond, pulling his fingers away from her temples.  He could still hear her thought thrumming through him, though many of them were not exactly coherent.  He broke the kiss and looked at her.  She opened her eyes, hooded and dilated, and smiled softly at him.  "Hi," she whispered. 

"Hi," He grinned up at her, in her rightful perch on his lap.  "We... You can remove your hands, we'll still be able to feel each other, if you want that." 

She removed her hands slowly and trailed them down to his chest.  "You and me," she whispered. 

He wanted to tell her.  Oh, he wanted to tell her.  She deserved to hear.  Instead he affirmed, "You and me," and in one deft move flipped them so she was on her back, staring at him in surprise.  She hooked her arms around his neck and kissed him over and over until his arms were wedged under her back, not wanting to go too far away from her.  

He wanted to tell her, possibly needed to.  Their bond flared through him, made his hearts swell with the joy of a man in love, a man who did not deserve the woman before him but needed her more than air.  He pushed his affections at her, but she would, no doubt, have little idea what the magnitude of that was.  

She pulled away, gasping for air.  He took this as an in to kiss down her neck.  He paused by her ear, hesitating, and she froze, afraid that he would try to run away now, to escape her, even as he promised himself to her right now. 

"Rose?" he whispered.

"Yeah?"

"I would... I want to," he muffled an odd sound in the crook of her neck. 

"What is it, Doctor?" She asked worriedly, afraid of what he wanted to say to her. 

He pulled back to look her in the eye.  "What I want to say to you would bond you to me forever."

She stroked her leg up his.  "Good."

He grinned wolfishly at her and pressed his mouth to her ear before pulling away, his warm breath tickling her ear.  He inhaled slowly and whispered a long, melodious, ancient word against her ear, a words she couldn't hope to understand.  Somehow it came out in one long breath, effortless, never stumbling over a syllable.  

"What was that?" She asked once he finished, her eyes fluttered closed.  

He kissed along her jaw line until he reached her mouth, leaving a lingering kiss on her mouth.  

"My name," he replied, and somehow she remembered the words, knew she would hold onto it forever.  And then she ripped his tux dress shirt open and really, the whole thing for the whole night was decided.

**

They made their way under the covers, several hours later, the Doctor playing with Rose's hand with one of his where it had lay on his chest.  

"How's your back?" He asked her, a little worriedly, stroking his thumb along hers.  

She giggled and pressed a kiss to his chest.  "You weren't worried about that too long ago," she lifted her head to look at him.  He colored deeply and averted his gaze. 

"Yes, well."

Rose rubbed her thumb over his cheek, bringing him back to her.  "I love you," she told him.

She was not desperate to hear it back, she was only desperate to give him the words, and he understood that.  What he wanted more than anything was to give them back and now that he'd given her his name, they could be hers.  

He ran a hand firmly into her hair and gently tugged her so she was eye level with him.  She braced herself on her hands above him and looked at him questioningly.  He took a ragged breath as his eyes filled with tears again, but he was smiling widely at her.  "I love you too."

She slapped his shoulder.  "Than don't you ever try to send me away again."

His gaze turned sheepish and his grip on her hair loosened.  "I won't.  I can't, physically.  We've bonded, Rose, that's not something Time Lords have ever done lightly.  If you hadn't been dancing with that boy tonight, I can't imagine what-"

"Hold on," she smiled mischievously at him.  "You were jealous."

He thought about denying it, but then nodded resolutely.  "I was."

She kissed him deeply, as if it were a reward for being honest with her, and licked a path down to the side of his neck, where she sucked harshly until he choked, absorbed by the sensations.  She giggled and pulled back from him.  "Still think I'd be safe without you?"

"Yes," he admitted, "But I'd never be able to protect you, or at least try to, if I wasn't with you.  I can't stay away from you, Rose, you saw me sulking."

"Thought you were just trying to pull away from me."

"That would've never worked, in the end.  I couldn't, can't, be without you.  There are parts of you that are more Time Lord than human, and that could be part of what draws me, but... It's your spirit, Rose, that beautiful spirit."

She blushed at his compliments.  "Shut up."

"I mean it," he insisted.  

She shoved him gently and cuddled up against him.  He hummed and wrapped his arms around her.  She traced her fingers through the sparse hair on his chest.  "So what parts of me are Time Lord?"

"Time Lady, for you," he corrected, "But it would be your telepathic abilities, your capacity to heal... Which, by the way, I do want to check."

"Okay," she mumbled sleepily against his skin.  

He chuckled and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head.  "Go to sleep.  It's been a long few days, and I certainly haven't been much help."

"You're not going to be weird tomorrow, are you?" She asked cautiously. 

"No," he promised.  "It's you and me now, ROse."

"Oh, and Jack," Rose corrected.

"Mm, we'll see," he said, "I want you all to myself.  Might not let you leave the TARDIS."

"Fine by me," she said, before sticking a finger in his face, "My mother is going to want a proper wedding out of us."

He  kissed her temple again.  "Yes, ma'am."

She fell asleep soon thereafter, her breathing evening out and fingers curling against his side in an unconscious effort to hold him closer.  He smiled and tilted his head against her hair. 

"I love you with all of me, Rose Tyler."


	26. Chapter 26

Rose woke up with the Doctor gripping her tightly to himself, spooned up behind her, his face buried in her hair.  She felt incredibly safe, with him there behind her, clutching her as though he'd never see her again.  

His chest rising and falling against her back and his heartbeats against her skin told her that he felt calm and content.  Humming to herself, she cuddled back against him, and he shifted, holding her closer, his fingers splaying across her stomach.  He grumbled a little and gave her a sloppy kiss that made her giggle. 

It was not lost on her that he was sleeping, that he was comfortable enough to sleep, that he wanted to sleep behind her.  Their legs were tangled together, and if Rose had been a little less awake she wouldn't be able to tell where he ended and she began.  

Feeling a little deprived since she couldn't see his face, she turned over, grinning to herself when she heard his whimper of protest and how he wouldn't let her go.  Finally, she was facing him, his nose brushing hers with how tightly he was gripping her in his sleep.  She smiled and slid her arms under his, wrapping around his waist.  

"I love you," she whispered softly, rubbing her fingers lightly across his back.  He was warm, warmer than he usually was, and she reveled in the touch, enjoying the gentle intimacy that was passing between them.  His breath tickled her mouth and she had to resist strongly to lean forward and kiss him, now that it was allowed.  

She wasn't sure if it was simply his jealousy that had made the decision for him to finally do what he did, to bond with her, to stay at her side in their bed.  When Rowina said they would be spending the night together, she wasn't exactly expecting this.  Though, she wasn't exactly complaining either.  She closed her eyes and focused on her mind, on the mental barriers she now knew she had.  In the back of her head was the TARDIS, singing happily and making her smile, but in front of her was the Doctor, a peaceful presence, obviously sleeping and very, very calm.  

Rose pulled back before he could feel her and wake up, wanting to let him have the sleep he had obviously needed.  Of course, he probably hadn't slept in a while, worrying about her, and what he thought he had to do.  He was a foolish man, Rose realized, but she loved him so endlessly.  She let herself drift happily back off to sleep, hoping the next time she woke he would be there to greet her. 

As it were, the Doctor didn't have as much self control as Rose did, waking her with a warm, lingering kiss on her cheek.  He slowly kissed down to her neck and made Rose wrinkle her nose and giggle.  He chuckled against her throat and came up to look her in the face as her eyes fluttered open.  He was looking at her with such openness and love that she could hardly stand it.  

There were no words of greeting, only the Doctor leaning forward to greedily kiss her mouth.  She opened her mind and mouth to him immediately as though she had always done so.  Their essences tangled together as they had the night before and the Doctor's hand flexed against her back, pulling her ever closer.  He finally separated and pressed his forehead against hers.  He pulled his hand up from under the covers to stroke her hair back from her face.  

"This is..." he said thoughtfully, trailing off and laughing, "This is, by far, the best morning I have ever had."

"Me too," she agreed, stroking her thumb across his bottom lip.  She grinned at him.  "You're not being weird."

"Oi."

"Well, you're not," she said, "I thought for sure you'd be weird this morning."

"I promise I won't be weird, this morning or any," he said with conviction, making her smile.  He nudged her nose with his.  "I love you."

"I love you," she whispered, hardly able to believe that she could give those words to him properly.  It was liberating and she could hardly believe it.  Her face broke out into a huge smile.  "I love you." 

He tickled her sides and she laughed as he rolled on top of her, dropping kisses to her forehead and cheeks and finally her lips before laying down straight on her.  

She smacked his shoulder blade.  "What are you doing?"

"I love you," he mumbled against her skin by way of reply. The words sent a chill through her.  It was new and shocking, the idea that she could do this and he would allow it, not pushing her away or making her run.  

She stroked her hand up his back, allowing him to lay on top of her, pull her in and tuck his head against her neck. 

"Are you alright?" She whispered, feeling a bit worried now.  

"Yes," he said, propping up on his elbows.  "I'm just... I regret every moment that we did not spend on speaking terms."

She gave him a Look.  "You have one person to blame for that."

His gaze darkened and he dropped his gaze from hers.  "I know," he said quietly, as though uttering the very words hurt him deeply. 

She reached up to cup his cheek, stroking her thumb over the bone there.  "I'm sorry I was so cruel to you.  You were only trying to do what you thought was best."

"Exactly.  I _thought_ it was best, but when I saw that you were talking to other men, I... I felt sick, Rose, physically sick, and I couldn't keep away from you, I just needed you."

She wiggled her toes against his ankles.  "Yeah, that was the point."

"You minx," he said, flopping next to her and holding an arm out for her.  She giggled and curled into his side and throwing her leg over his waist.  

"I guess we should go thank Rowina for having us."

The Doctor was quiet for a moment, processing some information his body automatically collected about the day.  "It's only seven-thirty.  Get some more sleep first."

"I haven't had enough?"

He twisted slightly to kiss her temple and drew her closer, pulling the covers up farther.  "No, you really haven't.  Goodnight."

She laughed, and quieted after only a few moments.  "Are you sure you're not going to be weird?"

"Blimey, you really don't trust me."

She squeezed his side and puled him closer.  "Of course I do," she said, her voice scolding.  "But I think I'm the first to understand completely, Doctor, that your emotions are a bit unpredictable at best."

"Not this time," he said quietly.  "I promise you, Rose, I'm staying with you as long as you'll have me." his fingers touched the scar on her back on an upward pass of his hand.  "But you are healing rather quickly," he said softly.

"You can check me up later," she said sleepily, her eyes fluttering closed.  Within moments she was asleep, and the Doctor found that he was rather worn out as well, and followed her down into the black lock of sleep. 

***

"Good morning!" Jack shouted, waking both the Doctor and Rose. 

" _Jack,"_ The Doctor slammed his head back into the pillows as Rose groaned in upset, muffling the sound in his chest. 

"Well, you two have been busy.  Come on, get up, we've got a breakfast with the _Princess,"_ He walked up to the foot of their bed.  "Rosie, you've got something on your neck.  What could that be?"

"Are you done?" Rose sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest. 

Jack grinned wolfishly, clearly enjoying himself.  "Hop to!  Put some clothes on, kids!" He left the room, an obvious spring in his step. 

The Doctor sat up next to Rose and brushed the back of his fingers over her neck, presumably where a mark was.  He looked at her sheepishly with a shot of pride in his expression.  "You should probably wear something with a high neck."

***

Their breakfast with Rowina was full of excitement and chatter, far better than the dinner the night before.  Rose and the Doctor were able to make eye contact, and Jack's eyes were shining with a pride that would make anyone think Jack was the older brother of a boy who just lost his innocence. 

"You have done so much for our land," Rowina said, smiling widely at them.  "I am so glad I got to meet you, that it was under me that the prophecy was fulfilled."

"Me too, Princess," Jack winked at her and she blushed.

"Mr. Harkness, you and I both know that you are notorious."

"We all know," Rose rolled her eyes and the table dissolved into friendly laughter.  

After their breakfast, it was a quick stroll along the gardens, and then the Doctor turned to Rowina and said kindly, "I think it's time we left, Princess Rowina, but we thank you so much for allowing us to stay with you."

"It was my honor," Rowina replied, a beaming smile on her face.  "Thank you for being in my company."

They all exchanged hugs and Rose and kissed the young girl on the cheek.  "Lovely to meet you," she said enthusiastically.

"Likewise," Rowina beamed. 

The three headed back to the TARDIS, Rose's hand properly in the Doctor's, where it belonged, and Jack with a rather smug look on his face. 

"I doubt you spent the night alone," the Doctor said conversationally.

Jack grinned at them and threw the Doctor a wink, "Really, you genius you," he said, a light tone in his voice, "I really appreciate the notice."

"Someone from the ball?" Rose asked.

"A duchess," Jack waggled his eyebrows at her.  "Brilliant, smart, gorgeous."

"Brilliant and smart are synonyms," the Doctor said tiredly, pushing the TARDIS doors open.

"Yes, well, the mind is blurred after certain things, you know," Jack said, shrugging off the correction with not a bat of the eye.

The Doctor snorted, then sobered as he sent them into the Vortex.  "I want to run some tests on Rose.  There are some unusual things happening with her, and I need to see what is causing them and what it is."

"Yes, sir," Rose saluted.  The Doctor's eyes darkened.

"I think I should go with you, just to ensure that the professional stays professional," Jack said, "I can assume that Rose is not returning to the Powell Estate?"

"Nope!" The Doctor said cheerfully.  "And if you have to come with us, you'd better come along now."

The three made their way to the med bay, the easy banter that had been strained easily falling between them again, giggles and pokes to the sides being exchanged.  Added onto that was the Doctor stroking a hand up Rose's back occasionally, showing her little affections that he had limited himself to before. 

Jack sent the TARDIS a telepathic wink, and she returned with the time ship version of a school girl giggle.  She hummed happily, sending pulsing waves of affection to the Doctor and Rose, which they accepted with the same amount of ease, telling the TARDIS that something really was different with Rose. 

Once they reached the med bay, the Doctor lifted Rose onto the examination table, only allowing himself the slight thought of a snog before remembering that Jack was right there and would probably enjoy it just a little too much.  He attached some equipment to her and started scans, the gentle whirring of the computers and machines the only sound in the room.

"What's that?" Rose asked.

"Just something to check your DNA," the Doctor replied, "It'll tell me why you're healing so fast, what's causing it, and what I'm supposed to do about it, if anything."

Rose kicked her feet and sighed, nodding a little.  "How long is that going to take?"

"Not long," the Doctor said, specs already on his face and looking at the computer. 

"Do you think that it'll be something bad?" Jack asked, furrowing his brows in concern. 

The Doctor shook his head, but looked hesitant. "No, I don't think so," he said slowly, "It shouldn't be.  There's no disease I can think of that would repair her, which whatever this is is certainly doing."

"Oh, good," Jack hopped up next to Rose on the bed, shoving her shoulder with his.  "So, Rosie, about last night-"

" _Jack."_

"What?"

"Not appropriate."

Rose laughed and mouthed 'tell you later' to Jack, whose face lit up with the widest smile she'd seen on him in awhile.  She shook her head, grinning all the same.

"I don't believe it," the Doctor murmured, adjusting his glasses and leaning forward towards the computer.  "I don't _believe_ it."

"What is it?" Rose asked anxiously.  "What's wrong?"

"Absolutely nothing," the Doctor replied in awe.  He turned to her, the shock obvious on his face.  "It's the TARDIS.  She's keeping you from aging."


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why this took me so long. I think my muse ran away with an AU (again). I do wish it would stay put! Here's the final chapter! I hope you all have enjoyed this story, thank you for the love you've shown it!

Rose scrunched her brows, not understanding, "What do you mean?  She's keeping me from aging?  How's she doing that?" 

The Doctor rubbed his forehead.  "I don't know. But something about the Vortex in you is allowing her to stop your aging process indefinitely."

Jack crossed his arms, staring between the two. "Are you saying Rose is semi-immortal now?"

"Oh, she'll still be aging technically, but her body with never develop new wrinkles or anything of that sort."  The Doctor approached Rose and reached around her back, lifting her shirt so he could see the wound from the knife.  It was healing alarmingly quickly.  "She's almost completely healed."

"I noticed it didn't hurt very much," she said softly.  

He pulled back and smiled at her, his face very close to hers.  "You brilliant girl," he cupped her cheek.  "I don't know what this means, but..." He pressed a chaste kiss to her mouth, aware they had company with them and turned back to the computer.  

The TARDIS sang happily in the back of all of their minds, making Rose giggle and Jack smile widely.  She'd wanted them together for so long, witnessing them kiss in her medbay was exactly what she had always wanted, in some odd way. 

"Did she do it so you could be together?" Jack asked carefully. "She knew you were both holding back, knew a lot of it was because of the promise of forever.  Now they add up, the TARDIS can be sure of it."

"That... That could be part of it," the Doctor said slowly, "But it appears that there is something else going on.  She's trying to tell me, that Rose did something that is warranting  her needing the TARDIS's help. 

Rose shifted uncomfortably on the bed, feeling odd that no one was talking directly to her.  "Alright, so what's wrong with me that would make this happen?  If she releases her hold on my aging, am I going to die?" She bit her lip in worry.  "Am I sick?"

"No, it doesn't appear so," the Doctor reassured her.  "Physically, you're just fine, but-" He cut himself off as he read the words that were appearing on the screen before him.  "Impossible," he said softly.  "She's getting you used to your new biology."

"My biology is quite the same, Doctor," she said cheekily, kicking her feet a little and making Jack let out a bark of laughter at the blush that crossed the Doctor's face. 

"Yes, well, I wasn't really checking your internal biology."

"Well, Doctor-"

"Rose," He gave her a helpless look and approached her again.  "You have somehow added five hundred years to your lifespan." 

Her mouth dropped open.  "How did I do that?"

"Part of it has to be the Vortex." Jack interjected helpfully, and the Doctor nodded, agreeing with him. 

"Yes, part of it is the Vortex, the Bad Wolf still swimming around in your head."

She stiffened.  "Isn't that dangerous?" She asked, "I thought you had to take the Bad Wolf out of me because it was so dangerous, I was getting hurt.  I would've burned.  Why am I not burning?" 

The Doctor laid his fingers over her lips, silencing her words.  "You're not burning because the TARDIS is getting you used to it.  She's giving you the years, offering them to you.  In the meantime, she's keeping your body on this age, and it will stay there until you die because the TARDIS said."

"I'm going to be young until I die?" She couldn't hide her grin and smiled widely at him.

"Yes," he said, smiling back at her.  

"So we have forever?" She asked, and Jack found himself grinning at them like they were his favorite television show, which, often times, they were.  The Doctor's hands had fallen to her waist.  He wanted to hold her much closer, Jack could tell, but he was trying to reign himself in. 

"We have forever," The Doctor whispered, emotion flooding his voice in a way that Jack had never heard before.

She reached up to cup his cheeks, happiness apparent on every one of her lovely features.  "I love you," she said with conviction.

"I love you," he replied, and Jack left silently, closing the med bay door behind himself, giving the TARDIS the mental equivalent of a high five. 

The Doctor and Rose didn't even notice that he had left.  She stroked her thumbs over the apples of his cheeks as she watched tears fill his eyes. "Why are you crying>" She demanded, her brows drawing together at his upset.  "We're good, we're okay."

"I never thought we'd be okay," he told her, "Never, Rose, we are so full of danger, and now, we have all this time and the TARDIS is going to keep you safe for me, for us, for the both of us.  She loves you just as much as she loves me and that's the most incredible thing I've ever seen."

"She did not love any of your other companions?" 

"She knows you love me like none of them ever had," he told her, "She knows the extent of what you mean to me and what I mean to you.  It's more than simplicity and she knows it.  She can feel your love, even if you aren't projecting it."

Rose smiled widely.  "You and me," she said, wrapping her legs around his waist from her vantage point and dragging him close to her.  He went willingly, wrapping his arms around her fully and pressing his forehead to hers.  "You are extraordinary," he told her breathlessly.,

"I think you should be telling your ship that." she giggled.

"She knows," the Doctor said dismissively, "You don't understand, Rose, the part of you that is so brilliant, that you never see.  You are so perfect."

She flushed at his compliments, not used to such words from him.  "Oh, stop," she said, smiling widely at him.

"You know that you mean the world to me, and I'm never letting you go," he said, "Especially not now, that we're bonded and pledged and... Oh, Rose." He buried his head in the siede of her neck, holding her close and gripping her as though he'd never see her again.

She dropped a kiss to his hair and held him closer, her hands carding through his hair.  "My Doctor," she sighed.  "This is all we could have ever hoped for, you know that."  He nodded agianst her skin and she continued.  "I want this to be it for us, you and me."

"Are we keeping Jack?" He asked reluctantly, his mouth against her skin making her shiver.

"I though we might be able to hang onto him, yeah," She said breathlessly.  "If you want, that is.'

"If it's what you want," he replied seriously, pulling back to look at her.  "It can be the three of us as it used to be."

"I liked that," she told him, pulling him ever closer with her legs. "You were so jealous," she leaned down to kiss his neck, working her way up to his pulse points.  "I liked the jealously, how possessive you got."

He sighed contentedly and closed his eyes.  "And I possess you now."

"You do," she said, kissing his cheek.  "Every part of me, you and I are the same, now, we are one."  She set her fingers against his temples and he scrambled to do the same, to be let in and let her in in return.  They dropped their barriers as he leaned forwards and kissed her hungrily, as though there would never be time for it again.  She sighed into his mouth and parted her lips for him, allowing his tongue entrance into her mouth as his mind was in hers. 

Their essences were so tied together that it was impossible to tell where one ended and the other began.  They were truly one, in love and together in all ways.  The Doctor would make sure that they'd be together for as long as he could allow it.

Five hundred years!  They had five hundred years.   It seemed to good to be true.  He pulled away from her mouth, releasing her temples but keeping the bond open as he shoved the collar of her shirt down and latched his mouth onto the juncture between her neck and shoulder.  

"I think we should go on holiday to that pleasure planet," she gasped, running her fingers through his hair.  "You know, with all the beaches and little shops and... Doctor, we could drop Jack off and let him run wild while we... While we-"

He returned to her mouth, kissing her deeply and pushing his agreement through her link.  It was very clear that the both of them deserved and wanted a holiday, after all they'd been through, but Rose couldn't bring herself to be upset about what had happened. 

It had brought them together, after all, all the mess with that assassin full of madness, the Emperor.  Together in all ways because of him.  

*******

The next day the Doctor had agreed to take Rose and Jack to that pleasure planet, Azura V.  Rose had been delighted, and was dressed in a white bikini and blue coverup, her hand woven through his.  She'd talked the Doctor into swim trunks and a t-shirt and her mouth was practically watering.

Jack took off in front of them, telling them to get him in a week.  Rose giggled and pressed into the Doctor's side, wanting to be as close to him as she could.  

"You'd think we weren't in mortal danger just a few days ago," the Doctor mused, watching their friend disappear.

"He's immortal, that stuff can't scare him anymore," Rose pointed out, "Would you be scared of death if it couldn't happen to you?"

He hummed in the back of his throat and shrugged.  "I suppose not." he looked at her and grinned, changing the subject. "I've rented us a bungalow."

"A bungalow?"

"That's what I said, Rose Tyler.  Care to drop off our luggage?" 

She grinned at him and they took their suitcases (bigger on the inside, of course) to a beachside beach house, close but not too close to where they had parked the TARDIS.  She sighed as she entered and saw the gauzy white curtains and the massive king sized bed in the middle of it all.  There was a balcony overlooking the beach and she dropped her things and stepped out onto it.

The Doctor followed her shortly thereafter and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder.  "You look beautiful," he said, pressing a kiss to her neck and replacing his chin.  

She reached a hand back and slid her hand into his hair.  "So do you," she said, ruffling softly.  "Thank you, for this."  She turned in his arms and his hands fell to her back, one stroking up where her scar was gently. 

"I was thinking about what a fool I am," he said, "To wait this long, when we both wanted it, wanted this, each other."

She smiled at him.  "You are quite the fool when the occasion calls for it," she said affectionately, winding her arms around his neck. 

His eyes darkened and he nudged his nose with hers. "Are you sure you want to go to the beach?  This is technically the start of our honeymoon, after all."

She threw her head back and laughed.  "Take me to the beach and to dinner and then we'll do whatever you want," she promised, her face alight with her happiness.

Her cocked and eyebrow and tugged her close.  "Anything?"

She kissed him softly.  "Anything."

He pulled her into his arms, a tender hug reminiscent of the hugs they used to share before they fell into each other's arms just a couple days prior.  

"I love you," he whispered, the emotion in his voice nearly breaking her.

"I love you too," she hummed and let her eyes flutter closed.  "My Doctor."

"Yours," he promised firmly, giving her a squeeze before releasing her and taking her by the hand.  "I suppose we can go to the beach if you want to terribly."

She laughed and gazed at him as he started to pull her towards the door of the bungalow.  "Allons-y?" she asked teasingly, grinning up into his face.

He returned her smile and picked up their beach bag, flinging it over his shoulder.  "Run!" 


End file.
